


I'll Come Back To You

by FL0ze



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo gets actually redeemed, Bendemption, Canon Compliant, F/M, Feelings, Finn Needs A Hug (Star Wars), First Kiss, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Kissing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rey Needs A Hug, Spoilers, slight Reylo(I Don't like it but we gotta acknowledge it for story purposes)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22339873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FL0ze/pseuds/FL0ze
Summary: TROS FixIt:Set after the Trio hug and then after the burial of the of the Skywalker lightsabers. We see Rey and Finn grapple with the events of Exogol including the kiss and Ben dying. After Rey explains what happened to her and her feelings for Ben Solo aka the formerly villainous Kylo Ren, we see  rift form between the two best friends. Together can they heal each others (physical and emotionally) scars?Inspired by a tweet in which OP said Kylo got his scars erased while Finn has to live with his. That just didn't seem right.
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn, Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 84
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

“You don’t have to do this”.  
“No, I do.”  
He glanced at her. His brown eyes studied her intently, like she was gonna fade away. He took a moment scanning every inch of her face like it was a piece of art. Art that was damaged but art nonetheless. 

All she could do was stare back, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Rey had collapsed on Exogol, blood streaking down her forehead, Finn had been absolutely decimated. As she crumbled to the floor, no place for someone so pure of heart, Finn braced himself against the Millennium Falcon’s walls. What he experienced was the most emotionally draining moment of his entire life.

It was as if, half of him had been torn away. He hadn’t just lost a friend, he had lost a part of his soul. He saw his fingers whiten, harshly gripping the cold indents of the Falcon. All he could muster were two words "Rey... No....".

But as minutes passed, he felt a flicker. A spark of life. Before he knew it he witnessed Red-5 streak through the ash covered air. It had to be Rey. She wasn’t in his arms, yet he a wave of relief washed over him. With a sigh of relief, he exclaimed “Red-5 is in the air,” “Rey’s alive!” Meanwhile,Rey soared through the air, her face caked in grime,and her eyes blurred with tears. As she charted her path back to Akan Kloss, the only word she had on her mind was _FORWARD_

Finn looked upward the ground view of Ajan Kloss. The arrival of the Resistance was nothing short of of spectacle. Quite possibly hundreds of ships flooded the sky, as more and more champions of the galaxy landed. As people slowly trickled to the surface, sure enough, the air was crowded with cries of celebration and revelry. 

Standing in the crowd, he couldn’t help but smile. His grin was warm and sincere, as he made his way through this family. This unit, that had somehow managed to beat the odds. Standing in a sea of people, Finn couldn’t help but feel small. 

Not in the bad way. Not like the way the First Order made every trooper feel replaceable, like a cog in a war machine. No. Instead, Finn felt like a part of a collective. A collective that had saw the firsthand the injustice being imposed on the galaxy, and realized that something needed to be done.

As he made his way through the crowd, scanning for his friends, he pondered back to his days in his tiny stormtrooper dormitory,conversing with Slip and Nine’s about their goals within the First Order, and whether it was even worth it. His smile faded briefly as he thought back to how he had lost the first people he had ever called something close to a family. His first unit.

But suddenly, he spotted Poe and instantly lit up. As he paced toward him, they instinctively reached out to each other and pulled each other close. Quickly, they pulled back to get a glimpse at each other. 

Finn was incredulous, that the man before him had gone from the kind, hotheaded pilot stealing a Tie-fighter with, to a passionate, capable leader. _General_. Over the course of the year in this war, Finn had watched as Poe had learned to control his temper, become a figurehead of the Resistance, and gain the respect of legions of people.

He wasn’t just a flyboy, he was _damn general_. He stared into his hazel eyes, greeted with a sense of belonging. The man wasn’t just a comrade. He was an ally. A brother. A piece of Finn. Words couldn’t describe how relieved he was.

To his right, by the tree-line stood R2-D2 and C3-PO. The droids were conversing between each other, each regaling their account of the battle and the epic events they experienced first hand. All while shaded under the canopy.

The wind began to pick up around them. Leaves shook, and dust was kicked up. Slowly but surely, the familiar sound of an engine began to roar through the air above them. C3-PO looked skyward. Inquisitively, he turned to R2. "Did you here that?" He asked. Rey had returned.


	2. Together at Last

As Rey landed, she found herself taking in the fresh air.

The Sith world of Exogol had been death incarnate. A dark, inhospitable land that favored the cold, crass, and cruel. The atmosphere itself blanketed her lungs and her eyes with a thick layer of smog. But perhaps most striking, was how it appeared to be shrouded in eternal darkness.

As a storm raged above her, she couldn't help but slightly flinch as stray bolts of lighting shrieked through the air, towards the ground. She couldn't possibly leave a planet faster than she did. As the legs of the X-Wing gently made contact with land, she could feel a sense of dread welling within her.

_They had to be alive right?_

During her confrontation with the Emperor, Rey had been forced to watch in horror as Palpatine and his forced laid waste to the people who gave her a home. Her limbs felt like lead. Every ounce of her strength was being drained. She felt like she was sinking in the ground.

She looked up and all she could see was a column of jagged,harsh lightning ripping through the Resistance fleet like a wildfire. One by one, she felt life forces snuffed out. So much death.

She moved to open her mouth but no sound would come out. She was just an audience as ships disabled by the force storm plummeted to their doom. She saw stray blaster bolts ring out over the sides of a Final Order Star Destroyer. _Were they up there?_ In another moment, a bright orange star streamed across the backdrop of battle as a Resistance Y-Bomber went down. Her friends were dying. Her **family**. And she was helpless.

As she lay there, almost paralyzed, she began to chant. "Be with me...". She had no one. "Be with me...". She was alone. "Be with me...". But she wasn’t. She wasn't alone.

One by one, she began to hear the voices of Jedi Past. Drawn to her like a warm fire in the middle of darkness. _Master Luke_ she thought. The greatest Jedi in history were with her. Feeding her their strength. The Sith had taken enough from the light side. Now it was time to restore balance.

She began to rise, her muscles flaring. Inch by inch she began to gain her footing. She had summoned every ounce of her strength to defeat Palpatine and when she did. She collapsed, overwhelmed with with her senses.

As her world began to fade and her eyes glazed over, she felt two connections in the force. One above her, in clear anguish,and another below her, drawing closer with every moment.

Then she collapsed.

There was darkness, then suddenly, all senses began to function again as if her whole body had been rebooted. She felt her fingers tighten around a hand, which wrapped around her waste. As her vision came into focus, she saw the son of Han Solo.

She began to take stock of her situation before simply saying one word: **“Ben”**. At hearing these words, his heart melted. For so long he had felt like he had no choice. Like being evil was who he was meant to be. He had hurt so many people, his family included. But Rey had managed to save him. He smiled, a toothy grin. They gazed into each other’s eyes longingly. Then, feeling a swell of emotions, Rey kissed the former Supreme Leader.

She didn’t quite know why she chose to kiss him. Maybe it was gratitude. Maybe it was a impulse. He had brought her back to life, she felt nothing but joy. It was finally over! _No, it was illogical._ The connection they shared was powerful.

A “dyad in the force” as Palpatine had called it. Whatever they had drew them to each other. It was electric, like a storm. She knew it was wrong. _After everything he’d done to the galaxy,_ _To Finn_ , **_to Her_**. She still felt pulled to him. Like a magnet. Two sides of the same cosmic coin.

As she pulled back, she looked at him with hope in her eyes. Staring back at her was the countenance of a man running out of time. His face, stared back in a trance before his body slackened. Gently she tried to lower him to the floor as she felt his muscles relax. He lay there, beginning to fade. He looked peaceful like he had fulfilled his destiny.

And just like that Ben Solo was dead. The galaxy would never know the man who saved her life. Who had redeemed himself. Who had finally done the right thing.

As Rey sat there, a face of shock on her face. She knew she had to go forward.

The first thing she noticed was BB-8. The little droid with whom she began her adventure rolled up to her. She could only crouch there and smile with glee as she rubbed him. He sat there, rolling in place, smiting excited chirps and happy beeps.

“You’re okay!" She exclaimed. He nodded and beeped affirmatively, then proceeded to roll away. She looked up, with a mission on hand. As she made her way through the crowd, everything felt dream like.

The cheers were deafening, but comforting. All around her, people were celebrating, chatting, and greeting loved ones. Never had she thought this would be possible. The Resistance has always made it imperative that they stay in touch with being alive but for the first time in a long time, people were content.

She made her way though the crowd, getting occasional compliments of admiration or hands clamped on her back as a sign of approval. She wasn’t used to people touching her from her days on Jakku, but nevertheless, she trudged through.

Suddenly, in a parting of the crowd she saw him. He looked like he wanted to cry

He saw her. She looked tired.

Rey couldn’t help but begin to well up. Her nose crinkling as a small smile began to form on her lips.

What happened next could only be described as a puzzle locking into place. In one unsaid motion, the trio moved into each other’s warm embrace. As Finn pulled his strong arms around both of them, he began to quiver.

Ever since he had been taken from his family, he had been waiting. Waiting to do the right thing. Waiting for something more. That day, on Jakku, it was like the universe tugged on him, releasing him from the chains of the First Order. It was this feeling.

 _No. The Force, that had brought Rey and Poe into his life. His destiny called to him and caused him to fly off with him. But more importantly, run. Run right into her._ Never in his life, had he had people to truly love. His former stormtrooper unit may have lived with him, but they weren’t his family like Poe and Rey. He finally understood what love was. Pure love.

Standing there, on that humid planet, with bugs flying everywhere, sweaty clothes,thousands of parsecs away from that Force forsaken hell hole Jakku, he felt at home. He had found his place. Standing beside the two people who meant the world to him.

* * *

Their embrace seemed to last for ages. Not that either of them complained. Finally, as the sun began to set. They pulled back.

“Rey...” he started. “I-I felt you-“.  
“I know.” She had cut him off. She smiled gingerly before looking at both him and Poe with clarity. Her mind began to wander, and Finn picked up on this. It was almost like he sensed her melancholy. There was silence.

Poe noticed this first, glancing between the two of them. “Felt her what?” He said with concern. Finn couldn’t look at him as he quietly turned to Rey. “I was so worried...”. Finn’s voices trailed off like he too was in thought. 

  
She looked him dead in the face and squarely stated: “I’m not going anywhere. Here follow me, we have to talk."


	3. The Talk

Sunset turned to dusk and just like the sun’s bright rays, the cries began to fade. Of course they were still there, Finn couldn’t help but notice as people retired to their quarters for private celebrations. He had no doubt that elixirs and brews stashed within the confines of the base would be used to fuel the next wave of revelry. But Finn couldn’t pay attention, he was too busy fumbling his way into his room.

The moderate size room he shared with Poe was the personification of their personalities. Neat, yet expressive. Stylish, yet practical. As all three heroes, entered the door frame, it as as if a spell was cast on them, causing them to to tire.

They each sprawled out respectively between the two beds, and the central couch. They began to each recall their perspective of the final battle. Recounting the epic moments from the Resistance calvary charge, to the arrival of Chewie, Lando, and half the damn galaxy. Poe and Finn told Rey of the bravery and craftiness of the Resistance and how they had thwarted the Palpatine’s plot from the skies. Rey seemed invested, taking great care to listens as her friends explained how they fought for their lives to save the galaxy. Then it was her turn.

She explained everything she went through in the Sith palace. From her parental heritage, to force-bonding Ben Solo Leia’s lightsaber, to battling Palpatine’s guards, to even channeling the Ghosts of Jedi Past. Finally, she began relay how she felt when she was taking her last breath. “I didn’t know what would happen next. I just needed to believe you two were alive.” Finn stood up, vindicated. “So you died?” He said in a hushed toned.

  
She nodded.

  
“Rey, I felt you die..” He began. “I don’t know how but I did”. “I can feel both of you, like right now." Rey perked up, curious. “Finn.” She said calmly. “What does it feel like?” “Like you guys are pulsing.” “Constantly.” He added. He explained how he felt it with little things, ever since Jakku. 

_For some reason, it was like different levels._ _Like the stronger he felt towards someone. The more they pulsed, like an invisible string was tugging him towards them._

He had felt this when he was with Chewie, Leia and Rose of course. Yet, with Poe and especially Rey, it felt amplified. Though the droids were nonliving, he still felt a connection to the quartet. 

But they had always felt like a whisper in the back of his head. Suddenly for all three people, it clicked.

“Finn... I think you have the force.” She announced slowly.

 _No I can't_ . He thought. Could he? Everything was starting to make sense. Except for one thing. “How are you alive?” He asked. Poe agreed, “Yeah that still doesn’t make sense.”

Rey faltered, she looked haunted, distant. Looking down at the ground, eyes glazed, she explained how Ben saved her. Finn and Poe took a moment to process everything. Poe was only left with one word:

“Huh.”   
Finn meanwhile, couldn’t believe it. _Kylo Ren, the same person that murdered innocents, killed his father, slashed his back(while trying to kill him), and mentally violated his friends, had the face turn of the century._

He had sacrificed his life and body for Rey. _**Ben Solo** had died for Rey._ He shook his head and scoffed. Poe sensing that a very specific conversation was about to be had, excused himself.

He made up a half baked story about seeing Zorii and Babu off, but not before reaffirming how glad he was that Finn and Rey were safe.

Rey, eyeing him the whole time, began to shift as Finn joined her on the couch.


	4. This My Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey tells Finn what happened after she was revived. While Finn experiences a force flash.

He sat fidgeting. Rey had noticed this. In the year since their fateful meeting on Jakku, Rey and Finn had spent much time together. Oddly enough, they seemed as though they were attached at the hip.

When they weren't busy training, attending meetings, and going on supply runs, they would often be seen spending their time together.

When Finn was with Rey, she could make the most mundane task seem like an adventure. Fixing the Falcon had never been so appealing. It was during this time, they began to get glimpses of each other as their walls went down.

They had both had to grow up in harsh environments and as a result it had shaped the very people they grew into. Finn had anxiety, it wasn't something he would openly talk about unless it was with Rey and Poe.

During his time as a storm trooper, he had lived every day in fear. The First Order had no room for treachery nor imperfection. Every stormtrooper action had to be precise and deliberate. Being sloppy meant reconditioning.

Talk out of line to a superior? Beatings or worse. Those who committed acts deemed treasonous were taken, never to be seen again. Finn had been a damn fine soldier, a picture-perfect machine. Fit and toned from years of physical training, resulted in his honed athletic and combat skills. His sharpshooting was to match.

On the outside, he was perfectly ordinary, but internally he struggled every day with the horrors he was subjected to.

Rey on the other hand, hadn't had it much better. Abandoned by her parents and condemned to stay on Jakku until the Force awoke in her and Finn, she had lived a lonely existence. Her tenure as an indentured servant, forced her to work to pay off her debt to the repulsive Unkar Plutt. The best way to do this was through scavenging.

As a teen, she was wry, fast, and most importantly small. Through her wits alone she managed to maneuver her way through wrecks across the planets surface. Every Star Destroyer was her own personal masterpiece.

As years passed, each wreck she conquered had acted as a landmark of a battle of wills. A battle she had won. The thing is though it was never enough. For all her possessions, from her handy quarterstaff, to the doll she had since birth, to even her coveted pilot helmet, the very few things she valued were always at risk.

The fellow scavengers of Jakku were a dangerous bunch. As resources diminished and the First Order tightened its grip on sectors of the planet and the galaxy at large, people got more desperate.

Rey discovered this harsh reality for the first time, when in the middle of the night, while she slept in her decrepit AT-AT Walker, she was robbed at gunpoint by a regular at the Niima outpost.

She had wanted to cry. But she knew that that would be no use. Whoever she was waiting for needed her to be strong, so she was.

With nothing but her staff, she marched into the camp of the bandit, and faced him and his allies alone. While she retrieved her things, she still lost a part of herself. To this day, Rey could still recall the feel of the cold metal of the blaster against her skull when she lay awake at night.

This was the moment she had officially learned to not trust people. Animals were predictable they were trying to eat, but people. They were the real monsters.

"Okay." She said. She steadied herself. Her breathing calmed. "Something else happened between me and Ben." She continued. Now she was starting to stare at Finn.

 _He has a hell of a poker face for what it's worth._ She thought. It was how they were able to at least hold their own against Chewie at the holotable during especially long missions.

A lump formed in the back of his throat. "What?" He asked. His tone was cautious. It was as if he was curious, but still didn't want to pry. She had always appreciated him for that. He always looked out for her. Without any way to prepare him, she just had to say it- "I kissed him.." 

Finn looked at her, then looked straight ahead, then back at her. The whole time, he revealed a face of a person trying to understand life itself.

As he processed what she had revealed, he had started to breath faster. It was as if the air was being sucked out of the room, and all he could do was try and get as much as possible before he was cut off. Stranded. Rey picked up on this too, he was hyperventilating.

While this was happening he flashed back to his adventure with Rey. Specifically, the force flashed him back.

Takodana. Him and Rey had just gotten into an argument. Finn confessed he was a storm trooper. That he wanted her to come with him. Leave this war behind. Rey being the good person that she was declined. She **HAD** to see this through.

Then 5 straight lines streaked across the sky and collided with the Hosnian system, decimating billions. Then chaos. The blue hue of the lightsaber reflected across his his face as he fought, slash, and ran his way to her but it was too late. Ren had taken her.

Rey.

The first person who had looked at him like he mattered. He had to save her. When they found each other on Star Killer, it had felt like his soul had been cleansed. He'd manage to right his wrong. All to protect the person he loved. The death of Han Solo. His own son had ran him through. Patricide, an unredeemable act.

And yet she had felt he was redeemed; Ren had pursued them. When he cornered them, he threw her INTO A TREE. Her body collided with the trunk with a sickening CRAAACK. She lay still. He cradled her face thinking he had failed her again.

He refused to let him hurt her. _He knew he stood no chance but quite frankly, he_ _didn't give a damn._ He stood his ground, yelling out guttural cries, as the crackling red lightsaber of the wicked Kylo Ren mauled his collar bone. _H_ _e was losing._ Then one slash to the back later he was decommissioned.

"Finn..." Rey whispered.

Crait. His whole mission since he had recovered from his coma had been ensuring Rey's safety. To do this he had traveled with Rose Tico, infiltrating the Supremacy, freeing fathiers, confronting his past.

So much had happened so fast, from facing off with his superior, Phasma, to racing across the salt covered flats of Crait in those rickety ski-speeders. It felt like he finally had clarity.

 _Finn knew what he had to do. He was gonna protect his family at any cost. And as long as Rey was safe, he could live with with what he was about to do._ He sped across the terrain, heat searing his skin. He closed his eyes.... Only to be sideswiped by Rose. She stopped him. Furious, yet honored he began to question why she had halted his mission. He could have saved them all.

"I saved you..," she muttered dizzily. Her pupils were dilating. She continued, "That's how we're gonna win. Not by fighting what we hate but saving what we love." She kissed him. Then passed out. He felt so many things. All that had happened and then he saw Rey, standing in the middle of a sea of floating rocks.

 _The force was weird._ He sprinted towards her only to wrap her in a hug. She returned it willingly, sinking her head into his shoulder. He could not only feel her relax but felt her heartbeat too. He didn't know what would happen next, but there was no place he rather be.

"Finn..." She said. She was more concerned. She could feel his aura growing brighter. That's how the force worked. When your energy flared, and emotions rose, it could be blinding.

Then the past 24 hrs. He had found in place. Ready to do his part. Then the day had begun to take a toll on each of them. Everything from Rey almost killing Chewie, to rebooting Threepio, even Hux being the spy. There was only so much, he could take in one day. Then _Kef Bir_. "I can't leave her!" He exclaimed. He was soaked, and cold but he found himself inching towards her step by step. Sheets of rain beat against his eyes, he could barely make out two figures locked in a raw dance of death. He could make out Rey, locking blades with Kylo.

He ran to her screaming. Only for her to turn around and push him with the force of a speeder. All he could hear was a sharp "NO!". Whatever Rey was doing she wanted to do it on her own.

She slashed and struck at Ren with a fury he had never seen from her before. But even then, she was losing He started to wear her down. He had her dead to rights on her knees. His lightsaber raised, poised to strike her down. _He was gonna kill her, and Finn was just standing there. Helpless._

Then he suddenly looked around confused, as if he heard a ghost. He dropped his lightsaber. And in one fell swoop she grabbed it and impaled him. _He would be lying if he said he_ _didn't enjoy seeing Ren suffer._

 _After everything he did to the galaxy, it was the least he deserved._ The waves crashing around them seemed to supernaturally recede at once. As if the action had tempered the sea itself. Suddenly, he saw Rey reach down to Ren and place her hand over his abdomen. Then she just left.

_That man. The one who was ready to kill Rey. His Rey. No. She wasn't his to own. That's what **Ren** would have said. The same Ren who just walked off. Who saved her. Kissed her._

Her voice was assertive but tense like she was walking a thin line. "Finn I need you to calm down..."

He was shaking now, and ever so slightly so were the other objects in the room. His trinkets, the very few things he was actually able to call his own. 

She gently placed a hand on his. Interlocking their fingers.

Then the room exploded.


	5. The Rift

What happened next could only be described as a storm.

Objects began to strike the walls with a violent velocity. Books, the books Finn had enjoyed reading, were flung from the shelf through the air. His blaster went off, the trigger being activated as it feel to the ground with a CLUNK. _Thank the Force_ _nobody got hit_ Rey thought. Though Poe's bed now had a smoldering hole right in the middle of his mattress. She would have to explain later.

As everyday pieces of Finn and Poe's life were weaponized against the two, Rey had no choice but to protect them. She clung to him, pulling him close to her with one hand, and using the force with another. While this happened in the span of a minute, the destruction was palpable. Finn was in a catatonic state. 

His eyes were just empty, like windows to a house with no-one home. He was breathing, but with a blank expression on his face. Rey could only try her best to protect them, knocking objects away as she best she could. A data pad hit her square in the back. Knocking the wind out of her. This caught her off guard because the next thing she knew Finn was knocked off the couch by a unlit lantern. Out of his pocket fell something small and silver. It was the beacon Leia had given to him.

"He kept it with him the whole time" She heard Leia say. She turned towards her. Leia could sense her feelings. _And she didn't even have to use the Force._ She had noticed her staring at him longingly. She couldn't help to do so any chance she got. With the last of the Resistance huddled onto this small little freighter, things felt hopeless. But she knew she still had Finn. 

_Did she?_ She looked over at him. He was caring for a woman, they must have grown close. Every few minutes he would return to her. Doing something, anything, to help her. He tried giving her water. Fluffed her pillow. Checked her forehead. "She's burning up." He exclaimed. "Is anyone a medic?" He was desperate. The woman must have meant a lot to him. "Rose needs a medic!" _Rose. A beautiful name. A woman who Finn had given his attention to._

Rey hated that she was having these thoughts. She wasn't jealous. It wasn’t in her nature. _But after everything she had been through in the last couple of days, with Master Luke. **With Kylo**. Everything within Snoke's throne room._ She just needed to feel accepted. With everything she had been through, especially being told she was "nothing". She felt her barriers broken. She had let Kylo in and he had torn her apart. 

When she saw Finn appear through the cave, his face bloodied, she felt relief. So many cruisers/pods had been blown up in the aftermath of throne room confrontation. She couldn't afford to lose Finn too. She slowly made her way towards him, the rocks dropping as they enveloped each other in a warm embrace. She felt like she was home. This whole time the only constant she had had since she left Jakku was Finn.

_And now he had left her behind._

The beacon fell out of his pocket and his head whipped down in a quick fashion. His pupils dilated before refocusing. When they did he scanned for the circular object before reaching down and snatching it out of the air with lightning fast speed. Everything stopped. All the objects still in the air dropped to the floor in an instant. He sat there. Poised. Breathing fast and heavy.

Rey stared in disbelief. _What WAS that?!?_

Finn looked easily just as shocked scanning the room. He looked down focusing on the bracelet before at the mess left in his wake. "Did I do this?" He said horrified. Out of the corner of his eye, Rey nodded.

 _Rey. The girl he_ _would follow across the galaxy. The one who kissed Kylo Ren. Or **Ben Solo** as she called him. _He couldn't think. He stood up, making his way towards the door. As he turned placed his hand on the handle, he felt a strong yet delicate hand be placed on his shoulder. "Finn." Rey called for him. He recoiled like her touch was pure fire. He took a step away. Then he focused. He stood up straight. As he slowly turned towards her, a chill running down his spine. He could only utter one word. **"Why?"**

They both had a silent expression on there faces. Each of them indicating to the other that they didn't wanna do this. That they meant to much to each other to do this. "Fin-" "WHY?!" Finn raised his voice. He took a step towards her. Towering over her. _She could kick his ass in an instant. He_ _wasn't dumb. But he didn't care. He just had to know why. "_ Finn I can explain..."

"Please Rey explain it to me!" Even now his voice was breaking. "I... I don't know what it was." She began. "I know it was wrong but in the moment it felt right". She continued. His eyes were starting to blur red. "I can't describe it but it was like the universe was **making** me do it." He shook his head. _No this_ _couldn't be happening._ "Oh bullshit Rey!" 

_He was disgusted with himself right now. He had no reason to be jealous, him and Rey had always been friends. That's it nothing more. He had_ _always felt something for her, but it never seemed mean't to be. Every time he had wanted to tell her, to see if maybe there was a sliver of a chance they could be something more, something happened. They were just busy. But he still had her in other ways, everything they did together had always felt special._

When they were searching for food, she'd tell him about the portions she'd have at Jakku, while he'd relay the horrible taste of First Order meal rations. When she taught him about the Falcon and it's anatomy and how to fix it, he would crack jokes and pretend not to know. Not just so he could stay with her longer, but so he could hear her laugh.

 _That laugh. That smile. With her grin, and her hope, she could save the galaxy. The way her lip curved up, like she was amused melted him every time he stared at her._ He snapped back to his point: "After everything he's done to all of us-His own damn father!" He continued. "The things he did to the Hosnian System, to Poe to **You!** ” 

He bawled his fist, anger coursing through him. "Rey he **h** **urt** you. He would have killed you if Leia hadn't stopped him." "I know..." Was all Rey could muster. "Forget what he did to me- Rey if he hurt you, if he took you from us, I would never forgive myself." He started subconsciously reaching for his back, weary. Rey noticed this. She hadn't even began to think about Finn.

He had received those scars protecting her. He would be marked every day for the rest of his life by the trauma he received by the man she had kissed. He gently took a step back, unable to accept it. He closed his eyes asking one more questions with his eyelids clamped shut. "Rey, after I told you about being a stormtrooper I've made sure to always be honest with you," he began "I need you to tell me and be honest: Did you love him?"

Rey thought for a moment. _She understood where he was coming from. She HAD betrayed him. Hell, there was a part of her, in the back of her head, that felt like she had betrayed herself. The part that could never forgive him for the tree, for Han, for violating her mind, manipulating her, isolating her.  
_

 _Yet, she found herself drawn to him. The man was her exact opposite. The other half of her dyad. The power radiating off him was toxic, yet she was fascinated by it. A moth drawn to a flame._ So she answered truthfully: "On some level, yes."

She locked eyes with Finn. He look gut punched. _She had loved Kylo yes. But she loved him like a equal. In the way that power recognized power. But he didn't make her feel the way Finn did. When she was with Finn she was a person. She wasn't_ _Rey the scavenger. Rey the Jedi. Rey the reason they were doomed. She was just Rey._ "... But I love you too." He locked eyes with her pleading, broken. He looked at her just like Ren did when he begged her to join him. She reached out to him. Ready to take his hand the way she never did with Ben. "Finn..." She began. He stepped back, as if he were afraid of her. "Don't.... Pl-Please don't". He looked around the room one more time. He backed away, then sprinted out the door.

The girl from Jakku was alone again.


	6. The Long Night

He was running. He didn't know where. Just as far away from that room as he could get. As his footsteps, reverberated through the cold metal corridors that had snaked their way through Ajan Kloss, he couldn't stop replaying the moment in his head.

She was crying. _Was this because of me?_ He didn't want to think that he was the reason she was. She looked beautiful, confident, if not sad. She had taken a minute to wash the blood off her face before they entered the room.

"... But I love you too." She told him.

He'd been shellshocked. _After all this time,_ _now was the time they had to do this?!_ He had never thought Rey was capable of love. _No, he phrased that wrong- of loving him._ When he had ran that day, from the First Order, right into her staff, her standing there bearing down on him. He had never seen a person so passionate, so pure-hearted in his life. Other than Poe of course.

It was a that moment he knew he would follow her anywhere. Over the year since then, he and Rey had grown close. It made sense they would connect to each other. Not only did they bear the marks of their childhood, but they had shared trauma.

The day the Force Awoke in them both, had been a day they had been pushed to their limits. Each situation becoming increasingly dangerous. But as long as they had each other, they could move mountains. 

_She loved him. It almost seemed like a cruel joke. After all that time, Rey loved him._ He supposed there had always been a spark between them. He felt this surge every time he was with her, and apparently it wasn't just the Force. Though he supposed the Force had sensed this and reacted to it. _He did love her. He knew that much._ That's how he felt her die.

Their bond it must have formed naturally over time. It was one of pure love. Not artificial. Not conjured by dark forces. Just two people who meant the world to each other. He didn't have a dyad with her. He could concede that. _He could never be as close to her as_ _ **he**_ _was._

When Rey was describing Ben Solo, he couldn't help but go back to Starkiller. He was _s_ _o angry._ His power was raw. He was violent, each strike hit with the force of a bomb. In his nightmares he saw him violently lashing out at him. His dark eyes, boring a hole through his soul.

 _That monster, he had the nerve to love Rey_. _He loved her like a possession, like a child who had a toy that only he could own. But according to Rey, **Ben Solo** was good. Ben Solo was gentle, passionate. The exact opposite of Kylo.  
_

 _Where Kylo was a cold, harsh wind that whipped your face. Ben was a warm, gentle breeze. The type that carried plant spores and gave way to new life. New beginnings._ He would have liked him. That's what Rey told him. Sure. Maybe. _If he_ _didn't kill so many. Decimated so many worlds. So many lives. But Rey loved him. And at the same time, she loved Finn. And Finn loved her._

In his sprinting, he wasn't paying attention. He was running so fast, he barely had time to register Poe coming around the corner. So he slammed right into him. WOOMPH.

They were sprawled on the floor. A tangled mess of limbs and clothing. He stood up fast. But not before helping Poe up. He scanned him for a moment frantically. His hair was in a mess. Not his typical mess. The mess that was wild, yet controlled. Confident, like him. It was loose, as it flopped around his ears. _What was that on his neck? It was red. A bright spot right in the nook._ Never mind that.

Poe placed his hands on his shoulder. He always did that when he wanted Finn to be comforted. It calmed him down. "Buddy you okay?' he asked. 'What's wrong?". He appreciated his concern. Especially after everything that happened. Finn didn't have time to think about that he continued his sprint, making his way down the hall. Faintly, he heard Poe.

He yelled out exasperated, "OH COME ON!".

He must have found the room. Finn would have to make him up to it later. Finally, he made it outside. The air was cool. He noticed that. When they had arrived on Ajan Kloss, Leia had explained how the ground, mud specifically,had a unique property. It was capable of trapping heat or cold in. So whatever the temperature was, it would be slightly amplified. Unfortunately, it was cold.

He found himself shivering. His clothes while stylish and practical, didn't always protect him from the elements. Thats why he he had his poncho. Even though he didn't have it right now. He made his way over to the tarmac, the main landing strip. It was worn and rugged. Scorch marks from engines firing up could be seen scattered across the cobalt. Each mark, a snapshot of history. He made his way to the left.

He could hear a few people still up. They were either leaving or meandering towards the base. They looked at him like he was a rabid bluurg.

He didn't care. He followed the trail, to the cliff down below, before making a sharp right. He was facing a wall. The sheer bluff the landing strip rested on had many different tunnels and compartments, a maze in itself. It's why it was so practical. Many different escape routes. He uncovered the vines revealing a small, secret crevice. He snaked his way through before covering it. He turned around and saw the room.

It was close enough. It was small, a less spacious than his and Poe's room. Confined within the space were two lanterns, a couple of chairs, a cot with a blanket, and a closet filled with drinks and random survival gear. Poe had found this spot when scouting out the terrain for Leia. "

"This can be our place." His eyes were lit up. Finn smiled faintly. He remembered the first night they had stayed up watching the stars. At the front of the cave, there was a opening. He could see waves rolling gently. The sky was a dark purple. Each star glinting like a freckle. All three lay silent, enjoying each others company, while BB-8 stayed in the further back, occasionally rolling or making a innocent remark. They were different people then.

Poe was still learning to become a better leader. As was Finn. Finn had started to find his place however. Slowly, he was becoming more sure of himself. And Rey. _Rey._ She was becoming this beacon of hope. One by one, people trickled in to join the cause. Inspired by the legend of Luke Skywalker and the Battle of Crait, and some scavenger girl, taking the fight to the First Order.

He sat down pondering what had changed in the past year. How his friends had matured. How he had. All through that time, he had Poe and Rey. They were with him every step of the way. _Rey_ he thought. _He shouldn't have left the way he did._ He was upset yes, but what he said hadn't made him feel better. _It **definitely** hadn't made her feel better. _

All this time it was like he had bottled up his emotions. Not all emotions. _Anger._ Leia had always said it was unsafe to do so, that it was the reason Ben had turned to the dark side. So Finn tried to use it, Rey used it well, especially in combat. He didn't know where to put his. And it showed.

All that pent up fear, sadness, anger. It had exploded back there. He unleashed it on them both. _For all the_ _victory, this day kinda sucked._ It was hard enough feeling her die, being so close to her. But then, everything happened in the room. _The force flash._ Everything had gone blank in his mind. He was there, but he couldn't do or say anything. He was just a passenger in his own head, as he saw various objects begin to crash around the room. 

_Honestly, having the force kinda sucked. The side effects were not worth being able to lift rocks._ He was absent, yet still felt Rey clinging to him. _Protecting him_. Even then he had felt special. They had a knack for saving each other. They would always joke about who owed who. Nobody was joking now. A stray data pad hit Rey in the back, he had seen it boomerang around striking her in the small of her back. Her hand wavered. Their protection was gone. The next thing he knew he felt a lantern strike him too. Out of his pocket fell the beacon Leia had given him. 

That beacon had been his most prized possession. It symbolized how he would always be there for Rey, no matter what. He carried it into battle on Exogol, palming it in his pocket as he got on his horse in the troop carrier. _For Leia. For Rey._ He felt it drop. Then it was as if he had been struck by lightning.

The beacon fell in slow motion, as he whipped his arm down and caught it with adrenaline coursing through his veins. He sat there posed. Incredulous that he had moved that fast. _What the hell was that?!_ He noticed Rey staring at him. He had to leave. He had already caused enough harm to her. Then she stopped him. And then she told him the last thing he wanted to hear.

He snapped back to the cave. Everything was so peaceful. He wished Rey was there. _Force he wanted to be with her right now. To apologize. To cradle her in his arms. There was so much he wanted to tell her. She had to know how much he meant to her._

The Force. The Force had done all this. _That was a lie he told himself. To convince himself that maybe they could salvage this._ It was them. They had to fix this. His eyes were drooping. His legs burning from the run over to the cave. He just collapsed, looking up at the stars and hearing the ambiance of Ajan Kloss one last time, before blackness rushed in.

* * *

She stood watching him. His breath causing his chest to rise and fall rhythmically. He looked almost at tranquil . He was caught in a deep slumber, though his brow had furrowed.

 _Maybe a nightmare?_ He had them often. They all did. You didn't get into a war and leave unscathed. Whenever they did, they would go to each other, stay by the other until they were in a deep slumber again.

Rey and Poe noticed that Finn was the hardest to do so. He was a light sleeper. The First Order had conditioned him that way so he would always be ready for training, or reconditioning at the crack of dawn. Rey had always been ready for anything because she had to. Thieves were all too common on Jakku. In the night, she would have her staff close by if any intruders dared to challenge her.

He didn't have a blanket. _He would freeze._

Ever so slightly, she flicked her hand towards him, she marveled as he started to rise. The force was nothing new to her now, _but even she surprised herself._ His prone form was floating. She took great care as she slowly moved him towards the bed. After gently placing him down, she went over and grabbed the blanket. _He must have been really freaking tired to sleep through that._

She placed it over him. She took one last step back, admiring her handy work. _He was safe_. She wanted to stay with him. To hold him close.

_But the last thing he needs right now is me._ Besides, she had something to do. Heading back to her place, she grabbed the Skywalker lightsabers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I just woke up. Started my first day of classes today! I read your comments and I was honored! I think I started reading these fics maybe around a month before TROS and I was amazed at the skill, craft, and care of you guys in your works. I was inspired because I wanted to contribute something to the fandom, especially since I'm a god-awful artist lmao. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it. The purpose of this fic, is to flesh out the characters in a way the movie never really did. I didn't wanna villains Rey in any way. So, I tried to be fair to both sides to really rationalize her actions so we as an audience, pretty much in Finn's position, could understand her. Anyway, the next chapter will be coming up when I can. Thanks again. The comments mean a lot!


	7. New Dawn

Light. The sky was enveloped in a brilliant warm, pinkish orange. Down on a ledge near the cliff. He could hear the familiar call of Porg's chirping everywhere. Since Crait, they had followed the Resistance around. Each planet they went to, was left hilariously ravaged by the critters as they nested wherever they could.

 _It was a miracle they weren't in that very cave._ He wiped his brow. Beads of ocean spray had lightly blanketed him. He sat up.

 _Last night was a whirl wind._ He didn't know how he felt. He had been waiting. Waiting for any sign that he and Rey could be something more. He had to watch time and time again as she went off.

 _She was strong. She could handle_ _herself. He knew that, yet every time she went off, to do some mystical Jedi thing, he just had to stay behind. Lost._ It was her choice to make, he couldn't stop her if he tried. But it had always bothered him how she almost trance like become. This had happened after Crait, but especially during their adventure the day before.

Once in the desert when she went off to buy them time. Again, on the ship when she went after the dagger. He appreciated, her enthusiasm, _but she was always so damn distracted. Like she was never always there in any given moment._ He didn't want her attention. _That was childish_. But he wanted her there. In the moment, as if she was actually engaged in what him and Poe said. He got up and stretched. _He needed to shower._

As he got out, he heard the familiar voice of C3-PO over the base intercom. " **General Dameron has ordered an emergency briefing at once. Please prepare to depart."**

_That's weird he thought. We're getting orders._ Finn was no fool. That battle, while decisive, had not meant the collapse of the Final Order. Between Exogol and revolutions across the galaxy, roughly 20% of the First Order had survived. The remaining battalions had scrambled but were starting to coordinate. If they were going to be the fire that would burn the First Order down, they had to finish it once and for all. He went to the hangar.

The same hangar where they had resigned to their mission merely hours before. This time people were calm. Last time they were nervous.

Everyone had put on a brave face, but even Finn could see through it. _He used to have the eyes of a man who wanted to run after all._ He didn't blame them. What him and his co-general Poe had asked them to do was monumental.

Their small little fleet against a sea of Star Destroyers? _You'd have to be crazy! The odds insurmountable. But the Resistance was all about_ _crazy._ They beat the odds and were ready for the next chapter. Their work was not done.

They funneled their way in and encircled Poe. He began to speak. "Yesterday was a day the galaxy will never forget!" He said. "That day, was the day we all said in one voice:NO!" "We will not be torn down, we will not be silenced." "They took enough of us, yesterday, and every day before then... we won't let them take anymore." People were starting to be roused.

  
Finn couldn't help but smile. He had a natural charisma around him that transferred over to leadership. He continued. "We're gonna hit them hard and fast!" "We gotta take down each of the different battalions fast before they can reorganize." "Ground team, you're gonna help take back Coruscant." "Dross Squadron, you're with me. We're bringing the hammer down to get through to our allies on Naboo."

He turned to Finn and smiled. Flashing a confident, yet determined Finn. "General Finn will lead a covert team to Correlia. The First Order are trying to conscript more kids and take them before we can get to them." Finn nodded determined. 

_He had to thank him. This mission was the most important yet._ He had been stolen from a family he had never known. Robbed of a life he could never have. He didn't wanna be a soldier. But he had to. He took no joy in blasting stormtroopers. Killing his former comrades. 

_They were like him. When Slip had died, it was the first time he had seen just how little value they had._ To the First Order, they were expendable. Mindless tools used for death and carnage.

But Finn knew better. They couldn't help it. They were victims of circumnstance. _Finn had been lucky, he'd gained his freedom_. Others not so much. Seeing the Final Decimators go down had been bittersweet. To prevent death, they had to take even more lives. Some evil, some just following orders. Finn sighed, resigned to his mission. He was gonna do one last good deed.

 _No one deserved to go what he went through. He was gonna make sure it wouldn't happen again._ Before dismissing them, Poe gave one last statement. "You know your teams, you know your missions. This is it. One last push. Look out for each other. The galaxy needs us." And with that, everyone rushed to their stations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'll try and pump out the next chapters of the story between class. I wanna finish it so I can get it off my consciousness. For story sake, I'm gonna do a quick time jump after the Tatooine and Finn's mission. It's successful but not without a cost. If you're interested in me doing a side story about it let me know. I'd love to explore Finn's psychology about confronting his very past.The next chapter will bring the focus back to Rey because I wanna get both sides. Anyways, thanks for reading!


	8. Closure

“I’m Rey.” “Rey who?” She paused. She looked at the old woman. _She really had come far. A scavenger turned Jedi._ It hadn’t been to long ago when Rey feared that she would end up just like that old scavenger back on Jakuu. A life wasted was no life at all.

She hadn’t quite thought about who she was after everything that happened. _Palpatine._ The name sent a cold shiver down her spine. How could Rey ever live with the fact that her own Grandfather, had inflicted such pain and misery on the galaxy, of the likes of which it had never seen before.   


Alderaan, Kashykk, Sullust, and now almost the entire galaxy once again. Whole worlds decimated. Crippled. Brought to their knees. That was his legacy:carnage and suffering. And she didn’t want it. She felt a warm tug in her very soul. Something she hadn’t felt since Exogol.  


She turned to her right. Suddenly, just off the horizon she saw them. Master Luke and Leia appeared, shimmering in their ethereal forms. They looked at peace. Smiling. In the eyes of Luke, she could see a young man with hope, the same man who had saved the galaxy, inspired greatness, and brought peace.

In Leia’s, she witnessed someone who could finally rest. Leia Organa had dedicated her entire life towards the betterment of other people.  


Whether it was to the galaxy, her people, and especially her family, she would always do what was best. _Call her what you wanted. Princess. Senator. General. But at the end of the day, she would always be Leia Organa, defender of everything good._

Even if it meant sacrificing so much to do so. Without her, no one would be here. She was the first glint of the spark of rebellion. The source. Wordlessly, they nodded, as if nudging her forward. For so long, she had felt alone. Unloved. Until she had met Finn. _Her Finn_.

Han. _The man (and legend) who finally gave her a chance_. Chewie. _The larger than life creature who’s respect she had earned._ Poe. _The lovable dork she always fought with._ Luke. _The master who taught her that failure doesn’t mean the end of something, but the beginning of another._

Leia. _She had been everything to Rey: A general, a Jedi master, a friend, but most importantly, the mother she always wanted._ She knew what she had to do.   
  
She looked back at the woman. The sun had started to set. Perhaps most striking about Tatooine was its Binary Sunset. Heatwaves rippled off the horizon, reflecting the deep oranges and purples of the suns and the sky.

”Rey Skywalker.” She said with confidence. The was a gleam in her eye. A sense of being found. She was no longer lost. She paced towards the sunset. Gazing off she couldn’t help but smile. _She knew she wasn't a Skywalker. She wasn't just stealing names. No. One final gift. She had been given the thing she always wanted. A family to call her own._

We could choose our families. A family wasn’t just the people related to you. A family was the people in your lives who enrich you. Better you. Make the best version of you.

As she stood there, BB-8 rolled next to her. She had always admired how loyal he was. He was remarkably sentient too. Aware of every situation. Caring. They stood there, admiring the sunset. 

It wasn’t long before it was time to return to go home. This pilgrimage had been a haven. A chance to process everything that had happened. 

_Finn. The way he had looked at her said it all._ She replayed it in her head. _The force flash_. Items and trinkets were strewn everywhere. _The beacon_. He had kept it after all that time. And then he snapped. 

_He had absolutely laid into her._ Each word cutting like a searing hot knife. All she could do was stand there as he unleashed years of his pain, sadness, anger at once. Even as he verbally tore into her, she was still awe-struck if not shaken.  


_How could he be so pure hearted? After everything he went through, he was still a paragon._ Any other person who was weak willed would have succumbed to the sheer pressure exerted by the darkness. Finn’s force flash had been the best possible manifestation of this negativity. Had it been anyone else, the dark side would course threw them, like some twisted infection. 

Instead Finn’s darkness was funneled into a bottle, a bottle that overflowed with pure emotion, but a bottle nonetheless.  


Her Finn. _Her?_ It felt weird to claim possession over him like that. _He was right._ She hadn’t been fair to him, she could admit that _._ This whole time, Finn had seen nothing but the best in her, _always. Through thick and thin Finn was there._ That year, she had finally learned what it was like to love. _To be loved. And she hadn't even realized it._

Every time they needed each other they were there. When Finn would wake up screaming in the night, Rey would be there right next to him, her hand on his.   


And when Rey would breakdown during meditation, visions of Kylo trying to invade her mind and locate them plaguing her, Finn was there to hold her as she collapsed. They would just lay there. Lay there until the hurt go away.

_And then she betrayed him. Ben Solo was good._ Rey would stand by that. But when she kissed him, her lips pressed against his, she actively went against everything she had been through. She was an adult. _She could make her own choices. But when her choices defied her very past, she couldn’t help but feel guilty._

She had taken pity on Ben. His whole life, Palpatine has doomed him. Palpatine and his agent of chaos Snoke had preyed on him. Clouded his mind. They’d turned him against his family. The people who would always be there for him. But he’d made his choices. His choices killing thousands. Killing Han. Hurting her. _Hurting_ _Finn._ He was a evil man. _But evil men could change right?_

He had earned redemption in sacrifice. In finally putting someone else’s life before his own. In taking responsibility of all the pain he caused. He had come back to the light.  


It was magnetic, like the universe was pulling them together. One side fought to restore the light, to create a new life. The other, sought to conquer. Destroy. Nothing but pain and death followed. Perfectly balanced. But the more they struggled, the more powerfully they became, the more they collided. It was intoxicating. 

Not lust, but a drunken yearning for each other in the Force. These mortal enemies needed each other. They thrived on their connection, their love, their hatred for each other. The only way this cycle could be broken was if one of them died. Which they both had. This dyad. The one that had ostracized her from Finn, had taken so much from her.

Nothing had hurt her like the way he looked at her as she held out her hand to him. In that moment she needed him. _More than anything. She needed to believe that it would be okay._ That even after she’d done the right thing, told the truth, that _they would be okay. He looked disgusted. She didn’t blame him._

After everything they’d been through, she’s thrown it away. Away for Ben. He ran. She didn’t chase him because she knew he needed space. _Hell, she needed it. Yet,_ she still couldn’t just leave him. When she wanted to go after him, so she did. And she saw him laying there. About to freeze. She couldn’t let anything happen to him. She wouldn’t forgive herself.   


Suddenly BB-8 chirped. It was an emergency beacon. Poe had made it vital that the three of them have some sort of way to communicate if they needed help. It was beeping white for Finn. She looked at the hud on the holo map. _Correlia?_ She thought. Something had happened.


	9. Shattered Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey arrives on Correlia, makes a shocking discovery, and tries to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to apologize in advance if this chapter is subpar than the other chapters. I may or may not have had a slight writer's block. I wanna do the spin-off missions, but I have to make sure at least to write this one carefully as it establishes the base timeline , so the timeline will remain intact on the others. Especially, Finn's. This is also my first time writing combat, so if it sucks. I'll try and fix it and add more. Next chapter will probably be the end of the story if not the penultimate chapter before the epilogue. Hope I can do these characters justice. Anyways, thanks again for the love, it means a lot. -E

The light oscillated around the Millennium Falcons' cockpit, as the ship carved its way into Correlia's air space in light speed . BB-8 was at the control module, monitoring the Falcon's status while scanning for Finn's signal. 

The emergency beacon was useful, but not necessary. She could feel him. He was in danger. His aura in the force, flickering. Glowing dimmer and dimmer. She throttled the controls. Nothing could happen to him. _She_ _wouldn't allow it._ As the Falcon tore through the the atmosphere, BB-8 chirped loudly: 

**< EMERGENCY BEACON OVERRIDDEN HOLO- MESSAGE DECRYPTED>**. 

The blurry message materialized on the dashboard of the Falcon. Rey squinted her eyes, glancing between the figure appearing and the space ahead. The visage of Zorri Bliss suddenly appeared. Her visor was cracked, her face peering through. Piercing blue eyes, stared at Rey. Controlled, yet concerned. She began, "This is an emergency SOS. Any available Resistance personnel, please respond!" "We have the children but we'e been compromised. The First Order has located us."

Rey shuddered. She knew first hand the decimation the First Order had caused. The potential for destruction. In the hologram, Zorri was taking fire. She fired back. Small, blue rings enlarged quickly as they were rapidly emitted from her blaster. _Were those stun bolts?_ Why would a scoundrel use the stun mode? _Finn_.

Over the year, she had seen Finn evolve, as did his battle strategies. When he could, he would avoid using lethal force. To Finn, it was a last resort. "Every Stormtrooper has a face behind the mask." That's what Finn had told her. He was proof. They were more than just a series of letters and numbers. They were living beings. With thoughts and feelings. 

Those thoughts usually involved trying to kill her and her friends, but thoughts nonetheless. They could be capable of good if given the chance. The former trooper FN-2187 was living proof of this.  
  
Zorri ducked, taking cover as bolts fired past her head, strewing debris over her. "Dammit, how did I let Poe talk me into coming back?!" Rey couldn't see her face but she knew she was scowling. "Whoever's getting this, hurry the hell up!" "We are in dock Q-9!" That was all Rey needed to hear. BB-8 was thrown backward as the Falcon punched through the air at mach speed. The freighter couldn't move fast enough, coaxial exhaust spewing from the engine.

The Falcon touched down with a loud KATHUNK. _She would have to fix that later._

Now, there was no time. It was chaos, smoke spewed into the sky. The steam hissed and billowed outwards as the Falcon's landing ramp connected with the gravel. On the other side of the courtyard, she could see Zorri, Chewie, Threepio and about two dozen kids huddled behind cargo crates.

To her left, a squad of officers and stormtroopers were firing a volley of devastating rounds. They were winning. Chewie and Zorri attempted to return fire but there was no opening. A Sith insignia was displayed prominently displayed on their officers' caps and stormtrooper shoulder pauldrons. It was like they were challenging, daring anyone to face them.

To face the might of the Sith Empire . The Empire that Rey had toppled hours before. Palpatine was always prepared, he must have planted sleeper cells of acolytes across the galaxy, waiting to be mobilized if their Emperor was ever defeated( _again_ ).

Rey assessed the situation. Zorri was injured, a makeshift tourniquet applied on her left leg. Chewie was in no better shape, his fur matting and bloodied. C3-PO was mumbling incoherently about being used for scraps. They had just celebrated the night before. _It wasn't supposed to be like this._

Realizing her allies were in trouble she sprung into action. She reached for her new lightsaber hilt. Her hand gripping tightly, before releasing. She couldn't kill them. That's not what Finn would have wanted. She turned to her right. Her staff was there, secured in place in the ships armory.

It was shorter now, as part of it had been used for her new hilt. She grabbed it, feeling the weight of it in her hands. It was unbalanced, but it would do. She activated her lightsaber. If she couldn't use it offensively, maybe defense could work instead. With that thought fully formed in her mind, she charged into battle. 

Rey had found a proficiency in deflecting blaster bolts. While the training droid had given her trouble in the past, she nevertheless thrived in battle. She was always known for using her anger in a scrap. When she got frustrated, it would show. Whether it was through gritting her teeth, releasing guttural cries, or performing hard strikes and slashes.

Now, as she weaved through the battle, reflecting bolts to the walls, crates, and elsewhere, Rey felt a rush of adrenalin.

Each bolt, rebounded hard towards any surface. Rey didn't care where they hit just as long as it was away from her friends. She vaulted over a container, kicking a trooper in the face. Quickly, she deployed her staff. A trooper hit her with the butt of his gun. Almost animal like, she growled, her face forming, a scowl.

In the manner of seconds, she began to deliver a flurry of staff strikes in quick succession, managing to disable 3 more troops.

The power behind these hits was so strong, they broke through the armor plates. She couldn’t kill them, _but Rey was gonna make them hurt._ Reaching out with the force, she closed her eyes. She curled her long, angular fingers, pulling her arm back like she was using a catapult. Then she released it.

The force push completely leveled every trooper in site. Bodies were strewn everywhere. The enemy infantry attempted to get up, eager to return the favor. Instead, they found their arms being pushed into the ground.

They were pinned down. Realizing she had only bought a couple moments, she sprinted over to Chewie who had now lifted Zorri on her feet.

< **Thank the Maker, Mistress Rey has arrived! >** Threepio exclaimed. "RAWRGWAGG!" "I know." She replied. "I'm glad you're okay too." "Glad someone freaking got the message! I told Babu it would work." Zorri interjected. _Babu Frik was here? Where?_ In the arms of one of the children, Babu Frik displayed one of his signature chuckles.

"Where's Finn?"

Zorri looked down. Chewie too. Chewie mumbled something. Something sounding remotely similar to "I'm sorry." "Zorri, **where is** **Finn**?" She asked again, this time more alarmed.

Zorri met her gaze. "Big Deal- Finn, we got separated. There were so many guards on our tail." She continued "He ran in one direction. He got most of them off of us." The bodies started to writhe and writhe more. The effects of the push and sustaining it were beginning to take a toll on her. She felt light headed. "He said he had one last thing to do. He took that weird little droid, circled back, and distracted them." “GRHWOWGHG". Chewie yelled. _Coronet Capitol Tower.  
_

_Of course he was. He always wanted to be the hero. No thinking about what- who he was leaving behind._

She turned towards them both. “Chewie, get them on the ship. Fly off planet, then circle around so they lose your signal. Come down slow, but be ready for a fast extraction.”

Chewie growled back. “GRAWHGWHA?” **Where are you going?  
  
**

Rey grimaced. She looked up at the skyline to a large angular building, jutting from the ground and reaching for the sky. She mounted some scaffolding, getting to the roof before looking down and grimacing. “Capitol Tower.”

_He saved them. And now he was gonna die for his efforts._

She wouldn't allow it.


	10. Genisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey rushes to find Finn and attempts to pick up the pieces. What she doesn't expect is to find him the state he was in. What will happen to the pair of best friends as their relationship faces the ultimate test.

The air was on fire. Smoke billowing into the sky. The tower was in shambles. A shell of its former self. _This can't be good for my lungs._ She thought. She didn't care. Rey Skywalker was woman on a mission. She could see troopers running in droves. _All this for_ _Finn?_ She thought. If they killed him before she did she was gonna lose it.

She bounded across the rooftops, vaulting over generators, sliding under rusting pipes that jutted out like crooked branches in the tree that was the city. She was running parallel to squad of troopers. She sprinted, squinting at the tower. "Oh no." She said horrified.

To say the tower was falling a part would be an understatement. No, the tower was shedding metal and concrete like skin. Boulders were littered at the base, while jagged shards of metal rained down to the streets below. Oddly enough, no civilians were in site. She looked up at a holo board.

Plastered across was : **ALL CITIZENS PLEASE REMAIN CALM.** **REMAIN CALM. MAINTAIN ONE MILE PERIMETER OF CAPITOL TOWER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.**

The sight was odd. The First Order didn't care too much for civilians. To them they were more of a minor annoyance that were occasionally useful instead of living beings with lives, families, dreams. They should be thankful for their "protection". They couldn't be trusted to rule themselves. They needed a strong hand to guide them. Their hand.

Lost in thought, Rey wasn't paying attention. Her natural instincts taking over, she found herself moving to a rhythm, her body flowing with the urban geography in front of her. She was almost there. Then, O _h shit._

She had ran out of ground. Her foot stepped over to pure air. She cursed. She had kept running, almost off a ledge. The gap was 25 feet. Impossible, even for a Jedi. The soldiers were behind her in the alley bellow. Gravel plummeted four stories down. " **HEY!" A stormtrooper looked up and pointed. "Thats the fugitive, blast her!"** Shots began to ring out round her Rey flinched. Finn needed her. Steeling herself, she looked up, resolution in her eyes.

The gap ahead of her was twenty five feet wide. She threw her staff like a spear, its base jutting out of the opposite roof, waiting for her. She exhaled, shaking her hands. Shaking off her nerves. Breaking into a sprint, she dashed forward. She was picking up speed. Then she leapt. Weightless. She felt her legs flailing in the air. She had to tuck her legs in. 

She landed on solid ground, rolling into it to maintain her momentum. The roll had absorbed most of the shock, but her arm twinged.

It was scraped. She grabbed her staff, climbing down the scaffolding until she reached the street right before the Capitol Tower. The troopers were officially behind her. 

The marble steps, once beautiful and pristine, were cracked. Debris was scattered everywhere. The large doors were busted open. She glanced up the tower. _Finn was in there. Somewhere._ She entered.

She began her ascent, running through the lobby. The facility was teeming with soldiers. An alarm was blaring. On any screen available, the same message appears **EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY. EXPLOSION IMMINENT.** She heard soldiers patrolling past her. She hid behind a corner. **"Yeah we got the place locked down." "Bastard’s not going anywhere, we're gonna get him for what he did to Cross."**

 _Cross? Why were they insisting on staying if they were supposed to evacuate?_ She didn't have time to ask questions. She snuck to the elevator. The doors had scorch marks. Blaster marks. Each peppering the door. The top floor. _He was there._ The door opened. Two troopers were standing there. One recoiled. **"Hey what are y-"** She waved her hand in their faces.

The Jedi mind trick had been the first skill she had mastered. Ever since Starkiller, it had grown easier and easier. The trick was to be strong willed. Luckily, Rey had one of the strongest wills in the galaxy. The stronger your mind, the more set in your values, the easier it would be to bend others'. 

Rey didn't enjoy this ability. It was necessary but painful for her to use. It reminded her too much of the Dark Side. How Kylo had tortured her. Strapped her down. Tried to bend her to his will. "You know I can take what I want." _She felt revolted._ No one deserved it. 

She spoke. "You will forget that I was here." One of the troopers nodded. **"Yep, you got it** **!"** The other replied, in an all too cheery voice, **"You were never here!"** Awkwardly, they shuffled out sideways out of the elevator as Rey entered in. "And you'll give me your com link?" Her tone was uncertain.

Mind tricks, while effective, weren't foolproof. You could never know when they would fail. Slowly, he reached to his hip, unclipping his link from his belt before handing it to her.They stood there, like they were waiting for more instructions. 

Not knowing what to do, Rey blurted the first thing she could think of. "May the force be with you." " **Likewise."** The door closed and she released a sigh of relief. The elevator started to lurch upward at a constant pace. She steadied herself, alone in the elevator. She had time to think. 

_T_ _his was cutting it close. Finn. This wasn't Finn. He wasn't killing people, but he was making unnecessary risks. He was usually careful, rational. He was playing hero for what? He had nothing to prove. He was already a leader. A general at that. This must have been personal. She hated how much he loved to help people._

It was his fatal flaw. He would risk everything, his life, for the good of others. He and Leia had that in common. No wonder she had taken such a keen interest in him. Leia recognized that he was a pure soul. A Jedi at heart.   
  
Game recognized game. _Rey_ _wanted to be there for him. Like_ _every time he had been there for her._ She looked at herself in the mirror. Holding her staff, her lightsaber on her belt, white hood, now greyed with dirt. She had grime and soot on her face. She looked like a dirty space wizard. 

She didn't care how she looked though. Even on Jakku, where sand could end up in one's clothes for days, Rey had only cared about surviving. She was almost there. Twenty stories total. 

The display indicated the floor she was on.

 _13._ She blinked. _How would she find him? What state was he in?_

 _14._ She took a deep breath. _How many enemies were near him? Was he safe?_

 _15._ She started muttering. It was one of the prayers within her journal. "Im one with the force, the force is with me. The force is with me, I'm one with the force"

 _16._ She was gripping her staff tight. Her knuckles whitening. _Everything's gonna work out okay._

 _17._ She readied herself.

The lights started to flicker. The elevator creaked. A vocal SHRROOOoooom was emitted from the motor before the engine completely stopped. She was engulfed in darkness.

 _No_. "No no no." She hit the buttons furiously. She was panicking. Suddenly, the com link buzzed. * **ZZt* "We know you're here scavenger. "** Rey looked down, focusing on the piece of metal in her hand. It had grown colder, like she was holding a piece of a Hoth glacier.

The mind trick must have worn off. One of the downsides of being a symbol of resistance was that people knew your face. Rey almost missed being a nobody. _Almost._

 _"_ **We have you surrounded. Surrender now and we'll give you a painless execution. Refuse, and we will find and kill you and your friend."** She held it to her mouth. "Go to hell." She spat back. 

Secretly, she was somewhat relieved. She now knew the situation they were in. This told her two things. S _he was compromised. And they hadn't gotten to Finn. Yet._ In front of her, sparks flew. Snaking down the door, a collection of sparks hissed through the metal. They were drilling through. They had her cornered. 

Thinking quickly, she unsheathed her lightsaber, igniting her blade. The golden blade hummed steadily, the warm light carving through the darkness. She plunged the blade into the ceiling.

_She was gonna climb if she had to._ Roughly cutting a shape, small enough for her to squeeze through. She jumped up, before using her upper body strength to pull herself through. She glanced at the com link. _Maybe they were tracking her?_ She crushed it with the force. She stared upwards, the last of the stories above her.

She began climbing.

She couldn't scurry through the shaft fast enough. Her fingers getting hooking into any grove she could find. Climbing had been her strong suit, that's why she had always excelled as a scavenger. For as long as she could remember, she would climb things. It felt natural. Climbing was nothing hard. Just put one hand above the other, hold onto something move your legs higher, repeat. It felt natural to her. The action hadn't changed. Just the scale of what she was conquering.   
  
When she reached the top of a structure, it was always a direct challenge to gravity. _I'm still standing here!_ She would think.

She kept going, her limbs were starting to flare. Ever since she had landed on Correlia, she had been exerting herself nonstop. She wanted to rest. She needed to rest. She was slowing down. 

_**Rey.** _

She looked up exhausted. _These force ghosts have a knack for showing up anytime. **You can't stop now. He needs you.**_ She recognized that voice. "Ben?!" She exclaimed shocked. _**Yes. We don't have time. You have to hurry.**_ She couldn't believe her ears. When she hadn't seen him on Tatooine, she figured his essence had faded away. Become fully one with the force. "How are you speaking to me?" She said, latching onto a nearby ledge.

_**I joined my family. But that's not important. FN-2187. Finn. He needs your help. Like you needed mine.** _She remembered Exogol. Ben rushed to her. Fought his way to her. Like she was doing now. "Why are you helping me?" This brought a pause to him. She couldn't even see him but she could tell he was pondering. 

**_That man. He's brings out the best in you. Together, you guys are gonna fix the galaxy. I'm just a part of that. I found my place fulfilled my destiny. Saving you..._** "Ben..." _**It's okay Rey. Go**_ _ **.**_ This spurred her on. Her limbs were on fire, not with pain but with energy. She finally reached the top. Hooking onto one of the elevator doors, she pulled it open. 

Stormtroopers slammed their guns against the door. One of them manning a laser drill. They were almost through. A wide hole being bore through the thick metal. 

One of the troopers heard the elevator door shudder. He nudged the others, causing all of them to turn around. They stared at her, taking a moment to process the sight. One of her forearms was on the floor pulling herself up. The other hand on the elevator door.

"Um... hi?"

It was over in a manner of seconds. Staff strikes, force-throws, kicks, and melee hits with the butt of her lightsaber contributed to the heap of bodies strewn at her feet. She huffed, blowing a strand of hair out her face and breathing heavy.

Finn was finally safe. _For now_. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the ornate doors before her. This must have been the commander's office. She broke down the door like it was straw.

Sitting on the far side of the room, blood pooling at his feet, sat Finn. His GLE-44 was trained on her, swaying like he couldn't concentrate. _He was losing blood._ There was a corpse. _An officer. His robes were black, and white with a red cape. A Sith insignia on his lapel._ The model on the holotable was blinking:

 **ALL DATA ERASED. SYSTEM SHUTDOWN IMMINENT. EVACUATE FASCILITY**

"Rey?" He muttered weakly.

Then he collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay fair point, I probably should have mentioned how I thought this was gonna be the last chapter but I was too tired. I’ll just finish it tomorrow. As per usual, thank you for reading! The comments mean a lot!


	11. I Fall Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the culmination of Finn and Rey's journey. Finn's life begins to fade. As Rey confronts their feelings for each other. Also, an unexpected companion makes his presence known.

"Finn!" She exclaimed. She scrambled over him, clawing small bits rubble out off his body. Casting aside her weapons, she was just Rey again. She cradled him in her arms, holding him as close as she could.There was a small fire slowly creeping its way around the room. The embers almost curious, as they licked various objects before engulfing them.

She didn't care. She just wanted to hold him in her arms one last time. _What happened?_ His face had a gash, a deep wound penetrating his temple, just above his eye brows. His dreads hung loosely around his forehead.

 _His dreads._ After the events of Crait, in the year prior, his hair had started to grow out. In the First Order, they had required mandatory grooming at every level. No matter who you were, you were expected to adhere to the code presented. If not, the consequences were dire. Finn had elaborated on this to Rey and Poe, one night in the cave. They did it to take away every sense of self identity. As a member, you weren't a person any more. You were a trooper. A commander. A number. Nothing more. Finn had felt relieved shedding his armor, he was really shedding his identity as FN-2187.

One morning, Rey had noticed his hair had grown longer, a fro forming. While eating, Rey had commented on it. "Your hair's longer." Finn looked up from his meal, staring at her disheartened. _Instantly she felt stupid. She_ _hadn't meant it like that._ "You don't like it?" He asked sincerely. "No no no, I do. I like it, it suits you." He smiled warmly at that. "You know I could do it for you if you want." Finn chuckled at that. "And give me your three buns? No thanks."

Rey found herself smiling too. _She supposed she had been known for her signature style._ "No I could braid it. Give you something that feels like you." He sat pondering. "Onlyifyouwantofcourse!" _She mentally cursed herself for saying that, all too fast._ He grinned back at her, nodding his head "I'd like that."

That evening, they had spent the night in the cave and stayed up all night, just talking. The moonlight reflected off the rolling waves below like a brilliant indigo mirror. One by one, her fingers twisted through his hair, forming the braids he kept to this day. When she was done, he walked over to the mirror. Looking at the mirror, he said nothing. He started to tear up. _He was just standing there. Had she messed up?_ "I mean, I could do it again if you want. If you hate it let me kn-." "No." He interjected simply. "It's perfect..." He was absolutely elated, overcome with emotion.

For so long, he had been robbed of himself, of his own life. His hair had been a symbol of him taking his humanity back, piece by piece. He slowly walked over to her and she pulled him into a warm hug. He whispered four words that mean't everything to Rey. "Thank you..... I'm home."

His eyes fluttered open. His head resting on her lap. Everything came into focus. Staring down at him, with grime and soot on her face, beads of sweat forming, blurry eyes, strands of hair loose around her temple, was the most beautiful woman he had **_ever_ **seen. "Hey you." He muttered weakly. She let out a noise almost like a scoff. _Even now he was still trying to comfort her_ she thought. _To convince her that everything okay. That it was just a scratch._

Everything he saw kept switching between ultra definition and a blur. The colors of the room, red, white and black, contrasting sickeningly, like they were clash for control over his attention. He found himself just trying to focus on her like she was the last thing he wanted to see.

He tried raising his hand to clasp her arm. He couldn't. "Finn what happened to you?" His pupils kept oscillating, growing larger and smaller at random. "Heh, you should see the other guy." _She had._ She wanted to just hold him there. Her fingers were soaked in his blood. It was quickly drying around her. "Why would you come here alone?" Her voice was breaking. She was crying now. She demanded to know. If she was gonna lose him, she deserved to know why.

"Hey, hey, hey its okay. I was doing what you would have. Those kids, these people, they needed my help." _It kinda stung. She didn't know if he was talking about trying to do all of this alone or trying to help others. Truth be told, Rey had a knack for dangerously trying to do both._ She had this legacy of greatness thrust upon her. She had become a symbol, the personification of Resistance. Proof that the Jedi could return. That balance could be restored. But she wasn't sure if she wanted it.

 _She had been a scavenger, a nobody. And now people had looked to her for hope._ _It felt like the weight of the_ _galaxy had been on her shoulders. And she didn't want her friends to bear this burden with her. That's why she always pushed them away. She didn't need them on her_ _conscious._

He struggled to turn his head. This resulted in him coughing a small bit of blood. He pointed weakly towards the area under the desk. "Besides, I'm not alone." "I have you, and I had him... It's okay, come out." Rey was confused. _He was losing too much blood, he must have been hallucinating._ She had thought that until, the small frame of D-O peaked around the corner, his head tilted. Finn waved the little droid towards him. "It's okay, she's here to help."

He was still smiling warmly. Faintly. **< H-H-Heelp?> **He asked innocently. Finn nodded. He turned back to look up at Rey. His face was starting to lose color. She hated seeing him like this. _He had only felt alive for a year. He didn't deserve to lose it so soon. Not like this. This wasn't Finn. The Finn she knew was vibrant, warm, kind, filled with life. W_ hatever had happened in the room, had resulted in the real Finn being lost. _The Finn she **loved.** _

_  
_"Rey, you gotta- gotta get outta here." "No, nonono, not without you." She was shaking her head. Tears streaming down her face. "Rey this place, it's going down." She looked at the terminal: **EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY REACTION IMMINENT IN 3:00 MINUTES.** _His com link!_ She grabbed his wrist gauntlet, tinkering with gauntlet. She started fixing it, twiddling with the wire. The screen blipped to life. She pressed the communicator, hoping the signal could travel to the Falcon. The link buzzed as a connection was formed.

She was desperate, "Chewie, Chewie, we're in the head office, 20th floor, North side. Hurry!" She received a roar back. As she said this, Finn was muttering trying to get her attention. "Hey, Rey." She was barking orders at Chewie. "Rey. Rey. You gotta get out of here. Take D-O and get out of here." "Shut up!" She hissed. "I'm not leaving here with out you." "You have to...... ta- take D-O and get him to the Resistance. He's the key... Get him to Poe and Rose, you guys will know what to do."

"I'm **NOT** leaving you." She gritted her teeth. She had felt so much death, her parents, Han, Luke, Ben, Leia. She couldn't lose him too. "You have to. I **need** to know that you're gonna be safe. I saved today, but you're gonna save tomorrow." "Okay?" It took all his strength to look her in her eyes. _He was serious. "_ Please." 

She stared back at him speechless. Suddenly, the Falcon tore threw the air. In the cockpit, sat Chewie and Zorri. It spun around, blowing out the tower's windows. It backed itself up, barely scraping the frame of the building. D-O shuddered. Chewie opened the hatch. Rey heard him roar something similar to **"HURRY!"**.

She gathered her strength, trying her hardest to pick Finn up. A dagger clunked to the ground. She grabbed it, putting it in her bag. Dragging him to the window, she leapt, falling onto the Falcon, his deadweight bearing down on her. The white hull, and her tunic, were both marked with a sickening shade of red. D-O rolled over, falling right into the hatch. She dragged Finn in and the Falcon jumped away. As it did, an explosion of dust cracked the air. The tower starting to crumble. The day was won. At a cost.


	12. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn battles for his life as the whole Resistance discovers his act of heroism. Rey finally faces herself and the reality of the situation. The end is close

The flight back to the base had been the most stressful of her life. As soon as she landed in the Falcon, the cold metal greeted her. Finn's deadweight was bearing down on her, his blood dripping through the grates below. Moving out for under him, she screamed out. "HELP! I NEED HELP" Zorri rushed over as fast as she could, her limp still prominent. This mission had taken a lot. From everyone. "Finn..." Zorri was at a loss for words."Help me move him!" Rey exclaimed. She half pleaded, half barked the order. Together, they began to carry him. His body was hanging limp between the two of them. "Where are we putting him?" "Here." They cleared the cot.

She thought back to when Han, Chewie And Finn had escaped the pirates. Chewie had laid right there. Being tended to, like Finn was now. In the corner and the hold, the children sat there, haunted. Some of the younger ones were crying. Rey looked at them. _It's like they were her past staring right back at her_. Kids who had grown up in the streets, born into a life they didn't deserve. She almost wanted to tell them not to touch anything, but she was preoccupied.

Hoisting him on the table, they began to work. Zorri hesitated."My HUD's all messed up." Rey was confused. "What?" Zorri replied, almost annoyed. "My helmet HUD, it won't be any use. I gotta ditch it." She brought her fingers to her head, before taking off her helmet. _She was gorgeous. Short brown hair fell to her shoulders, with piercing blue eyes as cold as ice. Rey was staring._ Rey was surprised, despite her crass personality, Zorri had the appearance of like a angel. An angel that would kill you in an instant, but an angel nevertheless. _And she seemed to have an interest in Finn._ Zorri noticed her staring. "We don't have time. We gotta get his shirt off." "Okay." Rey replied.

Carefully, they started to rip his shirt off, bit by bit revealing more of the situation they were dealing with. "Oh no." _Finn was hurt bad._ In the center of his abs was a wicked gash curling around the diameter. _A stab wound._ The cut must have been at least eight inches deep. She remembered the office. _There had been a knife near the officer. He must have used it. He must have done this._ His eyes were closed, his chest just barely rising and falling. She almost missed the scar.

The shoulder where Kylo had seared his blade into his flesh was still there. But now, on the other side, was an equally nasty burn mark. The result of a blaster bolt colliding with flesh. _That's why he only held his gun with one arm._ His other was out of commission. The bolt had struck him, but luckily avoided any vital organs. It hadn't hurt him as worse as it could have. 

As Zorri eyed him, she began to assess the situation. "Okay, we need to get him some bacta salve or he's not gonna make it far off the ship." "He got knocked around when you guys fell in." Rey nodded, scrambling to the utility closet containing first aid. Zorri took it, beginning to apply it generously, along any place of injury. _Especially his abs._ In the background, Chewbacca punched buttons and toggles, radioing to base while simultaneously piloting. "GRWAGHRA." He relayed the situation. Then paused for a moment. Listening to the reply. Finally, he turned his head back yelling to Rey. "WHRAGHEERHRRR." **"They got our message, they know we're coming. The other missions already finished. Everyone's on the way back!"** _Missions. What missions? Why hadn't she even known?!_ It didn't matter, they were going home.

When they landed, Rey couldn't leave soon enough. The Falcon touched down rougher than normal. Which was actually quite normal as of recent. Chewie had taken the initiative to carry Finn as he was the strongest. His strength, allowed him to gently scoop him up and cradle him in his long hairy arms. He ran as fast he could to the gravstretcher, gingerly placing him down. A random medic, a Zabrak exclaimed. "It's the General, get him to the triage immediately!" The responders on stand by proceeded to go to work. Strapping him down and rushed him back.

She looked out to the horizon. D-O had rolled next to her, staying by her side the whole time. **< He will get help?>** She didn't know. The sun was starting to set. Just like how the sun was setting on her and Finn's time together. She felt ill, wretching. He seemed so _**lifeless.**_ _This wasn't like Starkiller. No. Then, she had felt him. He was alive. Breathing. Hurt, but okay. This time_ _he practically looked like a corpse, all his energy drained. Just a sliver left._ Rey now looked to the sky, the Resistance was arriving. 

Each of their missions had succeeded. Minimum casualties. Clear victories. Most essential personnel had stayed behind on the planets to ensure complete control was relinquished. On Coruscant, the rebuilding process had begun. Lando and Jannah had stayed behind to overseee the effort.

Meanwhile, First Order leaders were meeting with the Naboo Parliament at that moment to negotiate surrender. Overseen, by the Dross Squadron of course. A couple of ships landed. The battle had been officially won. Much like the day before, celebrations had begun. _Rey_ _didn't feel like celebrating._ She just stood there, staring around aimlessly. She was waiting for something.

Sure enough, the familiar black and orange X-Wing soared through the sky before eventually landing nearby. _Poe_. She had to tell him. He made his way out of the cockpit, ensuring that R2 would be released as well. As he was lowered, he began to beep before rolling off to join BB-8 and C3-PO. Poe took off his helmet. Carrying it in his arm, he looked tired. "Rey!" He embraced her, not seeming to notice her state. She haphazardly returned his hug. "We did it. For all the people we've lost, everyone who didn't make it here."

She was starting to tear up all over again. "Just wait till Finn hears what..." He pulled back. He was looking around, earnestly scanning for him. "Hey, where's Finn?" Rey stood there. She couldn't meet his eye.

"Rey." " **Where is Finn?** "

Her lip quivered.

And then she collapsed on the tarmac. All Poe could do was just cradle her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They just stayed there for minutes. Each clasping onto each other. Even now, it felt incomplete. Like something was missing, someone. Finally, Rey spoke. “We have to..” She sniffed. “We have to see him.” Together they stood up. They were both supporting each person gripping the other's arms. Poe’s hair was stuck to his head. Helmet hair. His big brown eyes haunted. 

Those eyes who had watched his friends, his family die, one by one. And now he was about to lose his brother. A shadow passed over them. Wind whipped. Dust kicked up as the cruiser switched to hover mode. Another ship landing. Rose Tico has arrived.

They stood outside the surgical theater, all of them tired. Their expressions were worn, like all of the brilliant personalities and life they contained within them the night before had been sucked out when they lostFinn.As the medical droids, and sentient doctors began their work all they could do was watch. They were stuck there. _Helpless._

Rey hated feeling this way. It wasn’t her. She always had to be doing something. Something useful. Now, as they literally dug into Finn, trying to salvage what was left of him, she felt like she had when she was just a girl on Jakku. _It wasn’t fair_. Finn wasn’t like other people. He was a good man. With a good soul, he didn’t deserve to die in the gutter. He deserved a long happy life. Peace. If he didn’t want want her in it, she’d be okay with that, butat least deserved to make that choice.

All of them, Rey, Poe, Zorri, Rose, Chewie, all the droids included. Babu was on the Falcon. The creature was a droidsmith, but he would try to repair the ship. C3-PO has excused himself to show the children to their temporary quarters. “ **I can’t bare to lose another master he stated. Come along now children.”** He took them away.

“What happened?”Rose asked. She turned to them. Zorriand Chewie explained the mission. It started with infiltrating the city; They freed the kids, coming face to face with The ruthless Commander Cross, escaping the camp, hiding in the tunnels underneath, trying to get to the hangar. The troopers had found them, they were gaining. So Finn set off to lead them away. He distracted them, leading him back to the Capital Tower. D-O then tried his best to explain how he and Finn had broken through the building. An AT-ST had pursued them, as had a squad of troops under command of Cross. 

Chewie and Zorri tried to elaborate, but they hadn't been there. It was up to the little droid to fill in the rest. All D-O could manage was **< P-P-PEW, RUN, SNEAK ,F-F-FIGHT, BOOM>.**Rey couldn’t believe it. Finn was a hero, she knew that much. _But all that?_ He'd always been willing to save people. Poe on the Finalizer, Rey several times, the whole Resistance on Crait, even Exogol. It was in his nature to put others before himself. _He was loyal to a fault. He_ _wasn't thinking about who he left behind._

D-O tilted his head down, before spinning in a circle. **< CUBE! CUBE! I-I HAVE A CUBE!>** "Wha-what?" Rey looked down. **< FRIEND GAVE ME A CUBE!>** Bending down, Rey examined D-O. The little droid hadn't been with them for long, but already he had come a long way. Oochie had abused him, driven him to fear even the slightest touch. _It had broken Rey's heart._ Mainly because it had reminded her so much of her And Finn. She'd been cast aside, Finn literally physically and mentally abused within the First Order.

_It was ironic, the Resistance all of these broken pieces and people, yet when they came together, they became something more. It was no_ _surprise Finn and D-O had gravitated towards each other._ What had been a surprise was how well they had jelled. She supposed he Finn had a knack for bringing out the best in people in his lives, even droids. 

He wheeled up to her excited. In his chassis, the area connecting his head to his wheel, appeared a tiny a compartment. He shot out, a small cube, no bigger than an inch. Rey flung her hand out, catching it instantly. Oddly enough, the shiny prism had some weight to it. She examined it, it had inscriptions carved in it. _Universal coordinates._

She thought back to what Finn had said back in the tower. " _Get it to Poe and Rose,_ _they'll know what to do."_ She stood up fast, "Poe, have you seen this before?" She helped it between her fingers. The shiny alloy glinting under the fluorescent lights. He pointed to her inquisitively. "Is that a holocron?" "A what?" Rey was confused. She had read of Holocrons, devices used to store information only Jedi and Sith could access. Force sensitives. But they had long been extinguished. Even the coveted Wayfinders she and Kylo had scoured the galaxy for had been pure miracles of discovery. Relics of another age. Lost to the stars. 

"Yeah." He said. He snatched it. "Yep I bet... Here!" He held it to the light, inside the metal cube began to shimmer. A cool blue hue bathing the room in light. "How did you know about that?" Rey questioned. "Kin. He studies Force artifacts. Anything Jedi or Sith used in the past, he knows about them." _Of course, he was walking_ _encyclopedia. Him and C3-PO just stored information for days._ "Rey can you?-" He gestured, raising his hand. _The Force._ "Okay, everyone stand back." _If Finn was gonna die, she wanted to know what for._

She placed the object down, stepping back herself. She reached her hand out, mentally reaching out within the force. Rey found that it was easier to concentrate if she focused on the good in her life. _Memories of Poe_ _And Finn, training with Leia, flying with Chewie._ The cube gradually rose. It stood there, hovering between them. The corners started to rotate, the cube was spinning as well. _It's working, she hoped._ The corners had detached rotating around the center which was glowing brighter. Blinding almost. A map started to materialize in the air. Millions of stars, planets, nebulas, they all permeated the room. Emanating a powerful, brilliant light, the orb housed in the cube started to pulse. _It_ _was charting the galaxy_.

Chewbacca growled. "WHRAGHR!" **"Look!"** He was right, five points beams of light jutted out towards various systems. It pierced through the artificial model, stopping when they reached their destinations. The orb shook violently, the hologram was rapidly deteriorating. The room slowly returning to it's regular light. The orb began to fall. Poe caught it.

Everyone was in disbelief. Whatever Finn had discovered, had spanned the whole galaxy. He eyed it, holding it up once again. "Rose," He said calmly. " You and the droids are with me." She picked up the metal shards, palming them closely. As they walked past Rey, she snapped back to reality. "Where are you going?" This time Rose answered with a burning passion. "To figure out whatever the hell that was about." "Poe?" He pulled a com link out of his jacket pocket, tossing it to Rey. "Here, take this, the moment there's a update about him you let me know." "Po-". " **Let me know.** " The droids followed. Chewie left as well, grunting about going back to repair the Falcon with Babuu. Rey was left with Zorri and D-O.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	13. Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn's condition has developed and Rey discovers a stunning revelation

She walked to the window. Her eyes empty. She caught her reflection. Her Jedi tunic was absolutely ruined. She would have to clean it later. Silently, Zorri moved next to her, her eyes unmoving from the scene as well. After what they had been through, neither of them seemed to want to talk. Though Zorri was typically cold, Rey found her presence being there for Finn comforting. _If she wasn't there, at least she had someone else out there watching his back._ Unmoving, she finally spoke.

"He loves you." She said plainly. She let out a small sound. _Was Zorri Bliss chuckling?_ "He cares to the point where it's almost sickening. He wouldn't shut up about you." _Finn loving her? Rey hadn't thought it was possible. Even when she had dealt with everything with the war, with Kylo, Finn had been right with her. Right by her side, and Rey hadn't even considered he'd loved her like THAT._ _She often caught herself staring at him. Longing for him. Her favorite place in the galaxy was right next to him. It felt like home._

Rey now concentrated, looking at Zorri's reflection in the window. "He's special. If he makes it out of this, just be there for him." She turned, walking towards the door. She looked back one last time, wiping her eyes, "You must be some girl. Anyone who's willing to go through all that for someone else is crazy." _Crazy in love._ She thought.

Minutes turned to hours, Rey wasn't taking her eyes off the scene. The doctors had appeared to have stabilized him. At midnight finally received an update. Obviously, he had been gravely injured. The extent was what scared Rey. He lay there unconscious fighting for his life. He had internal bleeding. Whatever he'd been with stabbed with had seared his insides too. She looked in her bag, producing the wicked blade. She had snagged it before she left the tower. She needed to keep it. She had to remember. The weapon was curved. Double bladed. It's grip had five finger slots. A Kyuzo petar. A energy weapon favored by crime syndicates.

This blade was evil, inflicting copious amounts of pain on anyone unlucky enough to be caught in it's sight. Anyone like Finn. It was golden, curved. It looked elegant, yet crude. Many of the syndicates utilized these tools of death. They were low-key, concealable. She activated it, the edges glowing a crimson red. _None of this made any sense._ _How had Cross come across it? What did the Holocron mean? Why had they fought so hard to keep it's secrets from Finn?_ The more she learned, the more questions she had. She radioed for Poe. She had something. It wasn't much but it was something.

As she sat, D-O rolled out in front of her. The poor droid. He had been so scared when Rey found him under the desk. He must have seen the whole thing. **< MESSAGE!> ** He exclaimed. Once again, she looked down. This time, more quietly, D-O repeated himself. **< Message! Friend Left Message!> ** He suddenly whirred, his unit processing. The droid tilted his head up, projecting a holographic version of Finn. It was how he had been found. Moments before Rey had arrived. It was his last message.

"Rey, if you're getting this I'm sorry." He grimaced, eyes narrowing. He coughed, his lip was bleeding. "I took them down, I did it." He smiled defiantly. "These guys, they were gonna do some real bad, I had to do what you would." _Rey could feel her eyes watering._ _She smiled._ "The thing is, I'm not sure I'm gonna come back to tell you this. I activated the beacon, I hope you got the others out."

His eyes directed somewhere behind Rey. She could hear rapid footsteps approaching. Finn raised his gun, pulling the trigger. A single bolt rang out. The next thing she knew, she heard a SHOOOM sound. He must have locked the door, he barricading himself in. "Sorry." he said. He laughed, but it was pained. He pointed towards D-O, who acted as the camera.

"This little guy's with me. He's tougher than we thought. If somehow, someway, he gets back to you, I want you to see this." He continued. "You and only you." "Tell Poe and the others I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be coming home." He looked off, he was smiling faintly, reminiscing. "I don't wanna leave you but it looks like I don't have a choice." He focused back now, his brown eyes appearing to stare right into her.

"Rey, I was mad." He began. She peered closer now. He shook his head. "I was mad, and I was hurting. After everything we went through, all these feelings I had bottled up, I let them out on you. I felt betrayed, and sure it was a sucky situation but I was wrong." "When I felt you die, it felt like you got torn from me. It wan't fair. And he brought you back. Ren, or I guess Ben now." "And you were honest with me. You were always honest with me. You followed your heart in that moment. I guess that's all anybody can do." He frowned, like he was struck with regret.

"This whole time, I had been so afraid of losing you, that I hadn't considered that maybe I never had you. Whatever you and Kylo had was legendary. "

"Something **cosmic.** How can a guy compete with that?" He paused pensively. "Though I guess I can since I have the force now." "Heh." He let out a dry laugh. _Rey didn't want to hear this. He did have her. And she had him They had each other. They just never realized it. From the beginning, they always had each other._ "I never thought in a million years that I would be here. Off that damn base. In this clothes!" He looked down, gesturing towards his attire with his blaster.

She smiled, her mouth quivering. "You and Poe, you guys changed my life. Showed me that I could be more. That there was more to life than just killing. We made a real difference, I know it." His cleared his throat, his voice seeming even more sincere. "Rey, you are the most extraordinary person I've ever met. When I saw you- ran into you I should say, I knew I'd follow you anywhere. No matter what. Back to Jakku if you wanted. Even if it was the dumbest thing. Setting up equipment, going on supply runs, hell even cleaning, I wanted to do it with you."

She let out a small laugh, tears flooding down her rosy cheeks. "I like myself better when I'm with you guys!" He grinned now, his brilliant teeth appearing through the recording. "So as I sit here, waiting to either be blasted by troopers, crushed by this collapsing building, or dying from blood-loss and probably internal bleeding, I want to tell you this:" He straightened himself.

"This adventure. This life. This sweet-ass ride. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know there was a lot of bad, but there was more good. I got to meet all of you." "I never want to forget Poe Dameron. Runner of Spice. Flyboy. Resistance General!" "And I sure as hell never wanna forget Rey Of Jakku. The scavenger. Peanut. Jedi Master!" "Now right now, I want nothing more than to come running home to you, but I know can't. All I can say is that if I could do this all over again. I know I'd still go back to you." 

Then she heard the four words, she hadn't heard since her parents. The four words that absolutely melted her heart.

"Rey, I love you." 

"I always have, I always will." He smiled one last time. The message frozen. D-O looked at her. **< Message!>**

Poe entered, finding a sobbing Rey on the floor. She couldn't do this much longer. She was clutching the floor, her hand bawled in a fist. _It_ _wasn't fair._


	14. Back To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn talks with someone from the past, grappling with his destiny. Will Finn come back to Rey?

**_Finn._ **

He was dormant.

**_Finn._ **

He began to stir, his eyes blurring, attempting to focus.

**_Finn!_ **

His eyes fluttered open. He looked around, he was surrounded by white. _Wherever he was, the place he was in._ It was shifting, constantly. It was like an ocean churning around him. _An ocean of_ _energy._ All the of the walls surrounding shifted and flowed constantly. Waves of energy pouring over. It wasn't cold, nor warm. It simply was. "Rey?" He called. "D-O?" **_They're not here._** A gruff yet calm voice replied behind him. He turned around, standing there, in a grey tunic was Ben Solo. 

He threw a punch, throwing all his momentum at him. It connected with a satisfying KRAACK. _**Ow**_ Ben Solo said, unflinching. _**I deserved that**_. "Damn right you did." Finn "What the hell is this?" Finn exclaimed. He started backing away. **_Finn I need you to calm down. You look like you've seen a ghost._** "Well I have." Finn retorted. **_Well you're not wrong. You're a ghost too._** _Finn was shook._ "Where am I ?" Finn had gained his composure now. He asked a simple question. **_You're in the Force._** "Am I dead?" **_Not quite, well kinda. Follow me._** Ben explained, his lanky frame leading the way as they strolled through this otherworldly realm.

Ben had explained how this was the Nexus, not to be confused with the World Between Worlds. **_Basically, this is the Force in it's purest form. It's balanced, both light and darkness._** "Why am I here?" _ **The Force, it chose you two. You and Rey. She brought balance. But now it wants you two to keep it. For good this time.**_ Finn stopped. He was shaking. Trembling, he replied. "Where's Rey? Is she dead too? Did you do something to her?" **_No, she's safe. Right now she's watching you get operated on. It's midnight, she_** ** _doesn't know if you're gonna make it._** Ben placed a firm hand on his shoulder. _**She'll be okay, both of you will.**_ "Then what the hell are you doing here?" Finn asked, shrugging him off. 

_He was curious. If Kylo Ren had a hand on his shoulder he deserved to know why._ ** _I became one with the force. When I died, I gave up my life force for her. I joined my family, but I still had another duty to carry out. Now I'm the guardian of this place. I keep the peace. The balance._** "Well it suits you, all alone for eternity." Ben frowned at this. **_I understand if you're upset with me, but please understand that I'm not that man anymore._** "Not that man? You murdered all those people! Did unspeakable things to the galaxy, your own damn father, Poe, Rey!" 

He bit back coldly. Without a better insult, Finn said the first thing he thought of: "You were an asshole!" _**Yes, I was. And I have to live with that for every moment for the rest of**_ ** _eternity. But I need you to understand, I'm on your side. When Rey killed me, she killed Kylo Ren too. I loved her._** "Oh bullshit! You didn't love her!" Finn spat. "You loved the idea of Rey, a challenge in the Force. She was a tool to you. To Kylo. It doesn't matter. You **Hurt** her. All that pain she has, that was you!"

Ben got in his face. They were eye to eye. Neither of them losing their ground. Finally, Ben broke eye contact. He sighed audibly. _He looked tired. How does a ethereal figure look tired._ After a beat, he spoke. **_You're right. I made mistakes. I hurt people. And I saw every single one of them in my dreams. When I saved Rey, it was almost a_** ** _thank you. She gave me the chance to right my wrongs. To be better. Like you_** Finn blinked. _**When we touched tips...**_ Finn gave him a look. ** _...Fingertips, I saw everything. Her past, her present, her future. Her future with you. I even saw her standing with me in the dark. But I was wrong. You two were together. The way you feel about each other. I didn't wanna believe it. It disgusted me._**

"Gee thanks." 

**_So I did everything I could to stop the visions. To keep her for myself. Change her future. Fulfill mine._** He stared at Finn now. Ancient eyes that had seen so much. So much death. So much carnage. **_But that wasn't what the Force wanted. Everything that happened, happened for a reason. This destiny, we each have a part to play in history. I played mine. I brought her back. Brought her back to you. You guys are gonna make one hell of a_** ** _team_** "What the hell does that mean?" _**I couldn't tell you if I wanted to.**_

"So what now?" **_Well.... now I'm getting you out of here. You get to go home to her. You guys are gonna change the world..._** He turned around, holding out his arm towards him. Finn flinched. _Was he gonna force push him?_ ** _Finn, look out for her please. I know she_** ** _doesn't nee the help but please._** They both chuckled. _She didn't need it. If anything it was the other way around._ ** _For what it's worth. I'm sorry._**

The whole room was glowing brighter now, shimmering blindingly. Finn nodded. _He felt conflicted. The man who had caused him so much pain in his life, was not only helping him, but_ _acknowledging him as a person. He didn't know if he forgave him, but he wished he could have met THIS man. "_ Take care of yourself Ben." He faded out. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was twisting now, jerking violently. His pulse was spiking. Rey stood with Poe, burying her face in his arms. She couldn't see him like this. She wouldn't see him like this. _She refused._ Finn was writhing, his eyes still closed. Rey knew he was fighting, fighting with every ounce of himself to come back. He flopped down on the hospital bed. Rey heard the most horrifying sound. The sound she didn't wanna hear the most. 

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. He was flatlining. They were in the room now, around her her doctors rushed furiously, trying to their best to save him. Both her and Poe were wailing and crying, desperately. "NOOOO, No, No, No!" Rey exclaimed. "Not him, not him." Poe kept repeating.

Finn was gone. Their connection severed.

All sound had drained from her ears, she didn't want to hear anything. Her senses overwhelmed, she could smell his blood. 

She collapsed expelling everything around her with a force push. Poe sat with her. Defeated. He had lost his last brother.

There was silence.

The room glowed white. All around her, things began to short circuit. The doctors ducked, the droids crashing to floor. Everything surged. Rey looked up from the floor to see Finn's body shimmering, it was glowing white, his flesh rolling like waves of pure energy. _What is this?_ It wasn't stopping. 

There was darkness. Then, everything consumed by white.

Rey opened her eyes. 

He lay there. Dead. The man formerly known as FN-2187. Big Deal. Peanut. _Finn._

No. _His fingers they_ _twitched. She felt something. It was impossible._ _A connection. A connection reforged._

Finn exhaled deeply. He shot up. He was breathing fast, gradually lowing his pace. He looked around. His senses turned up to an eleven. In the corner. He heard a small voice. 

"Finn...?" _Rey. And Poe._ They sat there, a look of pure shock on their face. They stood up, slowly inching their way towards him. 

_Rey._ She reached out to him, her fingers caressing his face. _She was touching him like he was ghost. Like she didn't know if this was real._ He brought his hand to hers. Feeling a surge. He looked her dead in her eyes. Her beautiful kaleidoscope eyes. _They were mesmerizing_. Like a prism. "Is... is this real?" Her voice was breaking. He smiled warmly. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He grinned. "I told you, I'll always come back to you."

"What is this?" She said plainly.

"To be honest, I don't fully know, Its a long story." They both laughed. He turned to Poe, "Hey man!" Poe was grinning, her practically charged him. "BUDDY!" He clasped onto him as tight as he could. "If you ever leave us-." Finn struggled to speak as his lungs were practically crushed. "I know..." *Gachk* "I'm dead." Poe pulled back now, "I missed you man." "You too." He turned to Rey.

She scanned his face, like she still couldn't believe that this was her reality. Like she didn't wanna ever forget him. 

"427 days." 

"What?" He asked.

She leaned in, pressing her lips to his. They sat there, the world disappearing around them. It was just them. He returned it, letting her lean in. They both melted. They had spent so long wanting yearning for more in life. Waiting for their person. They had each found them.

She pulled back, staring right back him. _His gash was gone_. She glanced at his chest, his scars gone too. 

He was whole, and so was she.

"427 days." She repeated.

"I can't believe I waited 427 days to tell you that I love you." Finn stared at her now. He gave her a look she had never seen from him before. A look of tranquility. He was where he belonged.

"I love you Finn." She smiled, "I always have, I always will."


	15. Epilogue Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey And Finn work through their feelings after returning from the medical wing.

Finn had never been happier. He lay there, his arm wrapped around Rey, holding her close. _She was so tired._ His hand was pressed to her back. His other was reached out, accepted by hers. Her hand was placed over his, her dainty, yet strong fingers intertwined with his. The soft glow of Ajan Kloss's dawn was beginning to creep across the room. Slowly, every few minutes, the sun radiated more its warm rays through the window bay as light began to bathe their skin in a pinkish orange. _This was his paradise. Just him and Rey together._ He thought back to a few hours ago. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" I love you Finn."

She was smiling her white teeth radiating warmth and kindness. _Him?_ _How did he get so lucky._

"I always have, I always will."

Then they kissed.

She pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned, placing his hands to her back. They pulled each other close, accepting the other with a passion they had always felt for each other. It was overwhelming. An explosion of love and emotion. 

Finn had never realized how much he had loved her. This whole time, he had been fighting for her. Following her. Loving her. No matter what, he would always be there for her. It had hurt him seeing her tormented. Seeing her damaged. _He was damaged himself so they understood each other._ All he wanted to do was be there for her. _Rey, I love you too._ He thought. Rey and Ben were a dyad. That was true, they were two halves of a cosmic whole. They were pulled to each other, like intergalactic magnets. 

But that had been the Force. What Finn and Rey had, it was special. It was what happened when two people loved each other with every ounce of themselves. When he ran into Rey that day in Jakku, he hadn't just found a friend. He had found the _love of his life_. He'd ran into his soulmate. The person who would change his life forever.

If there was anything he had learned since joining the Resistance, it was that life was all about connection. _It's the thing that brings us together. It binds us. Helps us grow and enrich each other._ Connection had allowed Finn to find his family. The people in his life who made him better. Made him feel loved. Accepted. Valuable. _Like a person._ Connection had allowed him to find her. _To_ _Find Rey._ Finn didn't know much about love but he knew about connection. _A connection to Poe. And to Rey._

 _  
_Some people spent all their lives searching for the one person that can make them whole. The one connection that makes everything else feel obsolete. Finn couldn't believe he had already found it. Finn couldn't describe what Rey was to him. His friend. His Jedi. His hero. More than anything, he knew that he loved her with every inch of himself. He stared at her. _Her cut's fading._ She looked so innocent when she slept. Inhaling through her nose and exhaling out her mouth. Finn stayed there, counting. He wasn't in any rush to leave soon.

After they had kissed, she helped him to his feet. He stumbled at first, but he made his way to his friends, wrapping them in a hug like another. It felt right. He was back home. The doctors had ran tests. Whatever had happened to him, had stimulated his healing. Slowly the wound was closing, his cells repairing. The blaster burn was being distributed and wiped away like it never even existed. The doctors had advised Finn to rest. His is body had been broken, but bit by bit, it was working to rebuild himself.

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem." He chuckled, his arm wrapped around his ribcage. It ached, screaming in dull pain. Rey winced. _He needs to rest. Hell I do._ "That sounds like a good idea, come on." She wrapped her harm around Finn, supporting his back, while Poe supported Finn's weight. They ushered him through the door.

The Resistance base was quiet. The only noise was the constant hum of the lights above and the occasional set of footsteps. As they walked, they didn't say anything.They didn't have to. So much had been said. The three of them knew how much they meant to each other. They arrived at the door. Finn braced himself against the wall. His hand clenching the door frame.

"I got it from here guys, thank you, get some rest." "Fin-" Poe began. Finn stopped him. "I know, I'll be okay. Todays been a long day, we could all use the rest." Poe seemed to frown at this but understood. "Got it, I could probably go finish up with Rose and then catch some sleep." He began to walk off. He stopped. "Hey Finn..." "Yeah?" Finn asked inquisitively. He ran back to him, enveloping Finn in one last hug. "Thanks for coming back bud..." He whispered. His eyes were watering. "Always." Finn affirmed. He left, leaving Finn and Rey.

They stood there awkwardly, like teenagers. Rey didn't know what happens next. _What do you do after you confess your love for someone one before then kissing them?_ It hadn't worked well the last time. Finn still had his back to the wall, bracing himself, exhaling, and looking upward. Finally, he seemed to remember that the love of his life standing in front of him. He focused his attention to Rey.

"Rey... if you want to be alone right now, I understand. You went through a lot." She smiled, _he didn't have a clue._ She understood though. They had both went through hell for the other, every obstacle between them and the person they loved. "If you want, we can just talk tomorrow. A lot of stuff happened." He shuffled awkwardly, rubbing his hands together. His eyes seemed to drift. "Finn." His eyes locked onto her. "Finn, what do you want?" He seemed startled, like he was caught of guard. _I guess I hadn't thought of that._ He thought. He paused, opened his mouth, and paused again. Finally, he spoke. "I-I want you to stay." His eyes were begging her pleading with her. "Rey, I don't know what happens tomorrow, but right now I just need to be with you." "Okay." Rey said plainly. They entered the room.

They sat on the couch, just talking for hours, time slipping past. The company they brought each other was soothing. Calming. It was nice to know that after everything, they could still go back to each other. They exchanging laughs and smiles like the good old days. His head was rested on her lap.

She sat there, running her hands through his curly hair. They weren't just regaling each other with what had happened on Correlia, they were finding any excuse to keep going. Just to hear the other's voice. They talked about the dumbest things. Rey acknowledged the Falcon's constantly damaged state, relaying the intricacies and secrets the old ship held. Finn was laughing. Finn recounted his missions with Poe. He loved mentioning how he and Poe would try to combat Chewie's exceptional holotable skills. According to Finn, the mighty Wookie was a cheater. Rey was grinning the whole time. _It's true._ She thought. They alternated positions, the other one supporting the other's head. It was nice to just relax.

They developed a cycle but eventually, it was Rey who sat up. They stayed like this. Eventually, their hands found each other. The conversation had died down. They just sat there, staring at each other. Finn gently ran his thumb over her knuckles. _He didn't want it to end. But tomorrow was coming. Bringing a new day._

 _"_ It's getting late." Rey said. "I know." Finn replied. He was full of melancholy, _he didn't want the night to end despite the fact that he had just died._ "l don't know if you wanna lay in Poe's b-". "No!" Rey said sharply. She gripped his hand slightly tighter. "No." She began. "I don't wanna be alone either." He smiled warmly. _He was in love._ "Glad we're in agreement." 

"Do you have anything to wear?" "What?" She asked. He pointed. "My blood, its still on your shirt." "Oh yeah." She glanced down. "Here." he said awkwardly. He walked over to the closet. He eyed his valuables, some of them had been damaged. The results of the carnage that was the force flash. 

He pulled out a shirt that was two sizes too big. He held it up, his head appearing behind it. "Will this work?" "You're such a idiot." "Your idiot?" She smirked. _He was right. Her was her big dumb stormtrooper turned force-sensitive general with a heart of gold. And she loved him._ Finn turned his back to her, he was staring at a wall. "Finn what are you doing?" He replied, still facing forward. "Trying to be a gentleman. I'm not peaking I swear." "Oh." _He WAS being a gentleman._ She supposed. She had always appreciated how much he respected her. He never treated her like trash. 

He treated him like his equal, but more importantly like she mattered. **"You're nothing but not to me."** Those words had stuck with her. That wasn't love. This was.

She changed, placing her bloodied tunic at the foot of his bed. She turned around, he only had on his hospital slacks. "Oh." Rey blushed. Finn had been brought up with combat in mind. Athletic training was always a priority for the First Order. As a result, they had creating physically fit killing machines. "Your scars, they're healing." He turned looking in the mirror. _She was right._ Even now, the marks of death from both Cross and Kylo had began to fade. _One last gift was tone._ He bared his toned body before spinning around, sheepishly staring at Rey. "I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't know if-" "No no no, it's fine." "Are you sure?" "No its okay." There was another beat. Finally, he spoke. "You look beautiful."

 _It never seemed to amaze him how she had been so beautiful in anything. Her scavengers mask included._ She scoffed "Finn, they're your pajamas." "I know." He said plainly. He smiled. _Dammit he's so sweet._ "You're beautiful too." She blurted. _She mentally cursed herself. "You're beautiful?"_

"Oh, cool."

"Cool."

He made his way to the bed, inching as far as he could to the other side. _He still doesn't even wanna take up space. How in the force is he so good._

She joined him. There was a gap between them. "Finn you know you can come closer right?" "Right?" He crept closer. Their faces were inches apart. Their breath barely grazing each others skin. They lay there studying each other. _Her eyes seemed to constantly change._ _Her iris shifting colors between grey, green, and orange. Her_ _freckles lightly peppered her face. He loved this woman. His brown eyes were so inviting. So comforting. Welcoming, like were home. His hair was dangling on his forehead._ She moved her hand to graze it out the way. He chuckled lightly. _She loved this man._ This time she spoke.

"I got your message."

" I figured."

She sighed deeply, almost exasperated. It had taken so long to get to this point. "Finn why didn't you tell me? You always had me. Hell I had you and I didn't even know it!" "His face distorted to a frown. He looked distant. "We were so busy... And after everything with Kylo, all the things that were happening, that happened to you-it didn't feel like the right time." He paused. "I always had, and I wanted to tell you, but I didn't think you would have felt it too. Like we were always just friends. So I focused on helping the Resistance."

"Being there when I could. The best way to love you was to just be there for you." Rey was in awe. "Finn, I guess we both sound like idiots. Ever since you came back from Starkiller, I knew you would always be there for me. Nobody had ever cared for me like you had. I do love you, I always did. I just can't believe it took so long." " What me and Kylo had was... complicated." "You can say that again." She snorted.

"It was complicated, but it's **not like us.** You told me you felt me die. And then on Correlia, I could feel your life force fading, and then you died. The reason we could feel it is because we have a force bond." "A what?" "When two people are bound by each other in the force, usually by either love or hate. They can sense and affect each other. Me and Kylo had a dyad but you and I, we have a bond." "Wow." "It's how you can sense me and Poe. It's always stronger when it's people you care about. Master Leia had one with Han." "Okay so what does this mean?" She placed his hand on his cheek. "It means...." She pulled him into a kiss. She pulled back, her lips parting his. "... That I love you."

"I love you Rey Skywalker." He wrapped his arm around her, as she simultaneously intertwined his fingers with his.

This was bliss.

For both of them.

Rey fell asleep first her eyelids drooping before crashing down completely. Meanwhile Finn lay there, watching over her. She would do the same for him. He knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a long message typed out, and I thought I was done, but I kept going and now the story will be fully wrapped up with next chapter. I swear! Thanks for reading and commenting as usual! It's crazy to think that this was originally just gonna be Rey forcehealing Finn but I couldn't get their naturally. So I made this whole dumb story, and I kept writing and writing and I actually enjoyed it. And interacting with you guys! I'll get the final one out for realsies. Thanks again!


	16. Epilogue Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Rey officially wakeup and prepare for their debrief. They reflect on Finn's miracle and grow even closer.

"Rey."

She grumbled.

"Hrhgh"

"Rey..."

His strong fingers lightly caressed her shoulder. She began to stir. _No not yet._ She was gonna fight this awakening as long as possible.

She turned away, scooting closer towards him, covering herself with the blanket.

"Rey... we gotta get up."

She let out a groan. _Why did time go by so fast?_ She shuffled again, sighing and pressing even closer to him. "I'd rather not."

Finn let out a light chuckle. "Honestly, I don't want to either." "My body's kinda aching, and I feel like I've been through hell, but I still wanna be right here with you."

"Aww... now I really don't wanna leave." Though they had slept near each other before, this time felt different. _Felt right. Like all the right pieces were finally fitting together. They were finally home._

"I know, but truth be told, Poe and the whole Resistance would quite possibly murder us if they found out I was alive and haven't gone to see them yet." He began to lift himself up, removing himself from the tangled mess of limbs that was him and Rey. He looked at his chronometer that hung on the wall. The brilliant display read **10:27.** _It was a miracle it didn't come down during the force flash. he force. Everything on_ _Correlia had been wild. He'd have to debrief with the team._

Rey grumbled before opening her eyes. Finn turned around to see her brilliant prism-like irises peering out underneath the mound of blankets. _They were mesmerizing._ Finn couldn't see her face but he could tell she was exasperated. Her eyes were so expressive. Letting out a grumble, she finally threw the covers off of her, revealing her clearly upset visage. She huffed, very quickly switching from annoyed expression to a wry smile. "I guess you're right." She stood up stretching. Her limbs burned. Her body had been strained in the past 48 hours. She'd been pushed to her limits. She turned her head, Finn was staring at her. "What?" _She didn't have a clue. He loved her with every part of himself._ He smiled. "Nothing."

He walked over to the mirror, examining himself. Objectively, Finn was shredded. _But he didn't see it that way. It_ _wasn't like he was unaware. He was. But the way he had received his body wasn't through sheer will and determination. No. The First Order had begun his rigorous training since he was 3 years old. He didn't have a choice. They made him into an efficient killing machine. The perfect soldier._ He was loyal, brave, brilliant on the battlefield. _But not for them. He did and always would fight for his friends. His family._ His eyes scanned his body, sweeping its way across the gleaming copper colored skin. He made his way to his injuries. His stab wound. _Poof. Gone._ His blaster mark on his shoulder. _Nothing more than a searing memory._ Finally, he looked at his other collarbone. _The one where Be-Kylo, had maimed him._ He touched it almost like it wasn't real. Like he was a scared animal. It was impossible. _Then again, the force made anything possible._ The patch of skin felt and looked like any other. But he knew different. To this day, he still saw the blood red blade, tearing into him like a scorching hot ray of energy. He panicked turning around. He craned his neck, wondering struggling to view his toned back in the mirror.

 _Yep. Just like that._ The jagged carving that once dived the topography of his back, was gone. There was no trace of it. _Ben. He must have done this. Clean slate. One last_ _apology._ Finn closed his eyes. He needed to think. For so long, he had worn it as both a mark of courage and shame. That day on Starkiller had been the day Finn finally decided to take a stand, taking his life into his own hands. He was rising above the First Order. _He was gonna do it his way dammit._ It was the day he decided to fight for something. _For Rey._ But it was also a mark of shame for him. He had nothing to be ashamed of- Kylo had been a raw, dangerous combatant. He had this primal, almost animalistic attribute to his fighting. He was trying to inflict as much pain on his adversary as possible. Finn was out of his league, he knew that. Yet, after what he did to Rey, Finn felt the urge to protect her. _Keep her safe._ And ultimately he had. He had bought Rey enough time to hold him off. Get them out of there. He didn't know how he felt. _He thought he was going to live with it for the rest of his life._ _And just like that, the man who had caused him and his family so much pain, anguish, had healed him. Was he still Finn? Was he supposed to hate him? Forgive him? So much had happened. Finn didn't know._

He started breathing again. His breath, ever so slightly, becoming more frequent. He clenched his fist. The room was starting to surge with energy. This whole time Rey had stood there, observing him. _He very clearly felt very strong about whatever had happened to him. However, he'd been brought back had shook him to his core._ His muscles flexed, appearing taut and wound as he clenched his fists. Like he was a ball of pure energy ready to explode. In fact, it felt like the room was going to explode. _Oh no._ He was going to experience another force flash. She crept over to him. _He needs to know. He's not alone. He never will be._ Around her, the room began to quake, quake like a seismic tremor was forming in that very spot. "Hey." He didn't listen. He seemed lost. "Hey." Objects starting to drop. "Hey. I'm right here." Her voice was hushed. Smooth. Gentle, like the hum of the Falcon as it traveled in hyper space. She was behind him now. Her breath tickled his neck. He still couldn't notice. He was shaking. Very gently, she placed her hands on his back. One over his shoulder, the other in the small of his back. **"Finn."** He tensed. Her touch felt like electricity running up his spine. He began to relax. His surroundings coming into focus.

Everything stopped.

He turned around, facing Rey.

His oak colored eyes stared into hers. She said only said four words, but it's all he needed to hear.

"Finn, I'm right here."

He smiled back to her.

"I know. We're in this to the end, remember?" She grinned back, their hands interlocked. "Yep, let's go. We're gonna be late."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep promising the end, but I'm really sorry. I have this bad writing habit of overdoing it and then realizing that I've missed the objective/ done too much. Hopefully for real, I'll be done with this next chapter. I swear I'm not doing this on purpose. Also, it was cool interacting with one of you on twitter! Feel free to follow me if you want. I'm @FL0zethaJedi.Love you all, thanks for reading and commenting!


	17. The End of The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> With Rey And Finn now firmly united, they reflect on their feelings and prepare to face the future: together.  
> There are more threats out there, the galaxy will need Rey, Finn and Co to be truly free of evil.

They had showered separately. Rey had returned to her room, promising to come back so they could leave together. Finn pulled his black shirt over his head. The material grazed his skin, enveloping him in a warm layer of protection. He then proceeded to approach his closet, he stood there pensive for a moment. _Oh right._ His other uniform had been completely torn. A ragged heap was waiting for him back in the medical wing. His eyes scanned his wardrobe. He had insisted on neat, concise clothes. Everything easy and practical. He pulled out his old jacket. He weighed it in his hand. The leather, had been rough, the stitching messy, but Poe had done it himself. He appreciated that. It was the first thing he fully owned. If he was about to do what happened next. He didn't wanna lose it. He put it back.

His eyes scanned, landing on his bright orange jacket. _That'll do._ He retrieved it, slipping his arms through it. _It was perfect._ The puffy jacket could shrink or grow with ease, making it viable in any situation. It had a hood, providing protection from the elements. It even had shoulder compartments for storage of tools. _Plus it was stylish._. He looked in the corner. His EL- 16 sat there, ready for deployment. He hadn't used it since Exogol. His GLE-44 was the only weapon he'd brought to Correlia. _Well that and his truncheon._

His trusty baton had been lost in the fight with Cross. He would need a new one. Ever since the Supremacy, Finn had found that he was remarkably proficient with both ranged and melee weapons. _He could thank the First Order for that. He really could do it all. Except be a good pilot of course._ He grabbed it, strapping it on his back. He walked over to the wall, pressing the secret panel. A small compartment appeared, revealing a small arsenal of weapons. 

_Poe was always paranoid. He wanted to protect his family at any cost._ He reached in grabbing a spare baton. He attached it to his belt. Suddenly, he heard a rapping at the door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. "Finn, let's go!" Rey's voice was muffled through the door. "Coming!" He answered. He began to walk out, but not before catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. _He was a long way from FN-2187._ He was ready.

He opened the door, Rey stood there. Unsure. She seemed to straigten at the sight of him. She was wearing a black tunic, her strong arms enveloped in a midnight material. _The form fitting outfit suited her, it just like her, was powerful. Strong. But it also expressed vulnerability. The collar was open. Like Rey, if she let you in, let you close, you would know the real her._ "Wow." He muttered. She went back to just Rey. It was amazing how she could switch from a literal angel, and the bane of evil's existence in the span of an instant. "Oh this?" "I had to get a new outfit. You know, cause my other ones all bloody." She blushed, looking down. "No, you look like a badass!" "Thanks you too." There was a beat.

"Just a couple of badasses who happens to love each other." Finn finally blurted. 

"Cool." _I've got no clue what to say._ Rey felt herself thinking.

"Cool." _I've gotta get better at that._ Finn thought.

Rey began, "So we should probably-" "Yeah, for sure." Finn interrupted. They began their trek through the base, it was just like any other day. Except people kept clamping Finn on the back hugging him for too long. Rey could just stand there and try not to laugh. _He really did mean a lot to these people. He was a beacon of hope. Proof that things could turn out good. People could turn out good. Be better. She found herself smiling._

 _"_ Hey, I'm okay." "I missed you too." "Really?" He they slowly made their way to the mission room. They stood awfully close, their hands occasionally brushing against each other. They didn't know what to call each other. "Boyfriend" and "Girlfriend" sounded to juvenile. Too much like they were dumb kids in love. _Which they were._ They wanted to hold hands, but they something was holding them back. They hadn't done it in public. Not like this. Only when they were with each other. Or Poe. These small intimate moments were a reprieve from the stress of the war. They said _I'm still here._

Finally they arrived, everyone's backs were facing them. It wasn't a group of infantry. Just their friends. Chewie, Zorri, The Droids, Rose, even Kin, Connix and Commander D'acy. Poe stood there. He was talking. The holocron was suspended and displayed on a holotable. _Good. They were right on time._ Finally, he spotted them. Poe's eyes seemed to light up. 

"Finn! What took so long?" He was grinning. Everyone turned their heads, looking up to see them standing there. Everyone instantly let out cries of joy rushing him. It was almost overwhelming. Threepio exclaimed. **< Master ****Finn , how good it is to see you! > ** Chewie roared, enveloping Finn in a crushing hug, before jostling his hair. BB-8 , R2, and D-O rolled around him in glee. **< Finn! Okay?> ** Finn bent down, rubbing his fingers across the grooves of his shell. "Yeah buddy, I'm all good now." Even D-O was happy. He stood up, as Rose wrapped him in a hug.

"You gonna stop with the hero thing now?" "Probably not." She smirked. "I know." He saw Zori, he had been the first person to see her face in years and live. Her helmet had been repaired, now more of a proper one. It's awkward shape didn't jut out the back anymore. "Big Deal." She nodded. "Bucket Head." She pressed the side of the helmet and the whole thing retracted, back into the groves of her collar. Her maroon hair fell down to her shoulder, her piercing blue eyes gazing into his soul. "I'm glad you're back." Zorri Bliss's face formed a smile, shocking even Finn. _She had been through a lot._ He knew that. She held out her gloved hand. He took it. "Glad to be back." His eyes focused on Poe now. They had to know the full story.

Poe huffed. "Okay run it by me again." He ran his hand through his wavy hair. His temples had slight graying. _This war had drained so much. And while it was over, something else was coming._ Finn exhaled. "Okay Correlia wasn't an isolated incident." He continued. "Those kids, they were part of Palpatine's last scheme. Before he died for real, he sent out one last signal." Everyone was sitting, listening intently. He turned to Rey. She grimaced. "He had 5 secret sects of followers, slowly over time these followers infected and infiltrated the Five Crime syndicates." "No." Poe said. "No way." " It get's worse." Finn replied. 

"These Sith cultists, they're like a cancer. They've virtually consolidated all the criminal power in the galaxy. They're gunning for us." Zorri muttered. "Well that's pleasant." "Zorri, Chewie, Cross was one of them. He took over Crimson Dawn. They're in shambles now, most of them scattered for good when we took him out." As Finn relayed the gravity of the situation, everyone began to steel themselves. According to Finn, the unit Cross had led was a union of the First Order and Crimson Dawn, one of 5 between Palpatine's forces and the greater criminal underworld.They had tried to take the children. They were gonna experiment on them. Cultivate force sensitivity. A army of Sith. All the Syndicates were to play a role in this plot. The Hutt Clan included, were no doubt plotting to take them out. Together, Finn and his crew had foiled their plans on Correlia. He erased the data of not only the children, but any proof that the plan had been compromised. "We have the element of surprise." He pointed at the Holocron.

"That thing is the only reference to this plot in the whole galaxy." "Do you see those planets?" He asked. The beams of light penetrated through the model of the galaxy, stopping at various celestial bodies. "Those are where their operations are located. I'm gonna take them down." Rose scoffed. "Finn, if what youre saying is true, they have unlimited resources. They funded the Final Order for kriff's sake! You can't do this alone!" His faced tensed looking down.

"I know." He declared. "I can't ask you to help me. We've already lost so many people, but I can't live with myself if more people get hurt if I can stop it. I'm going." He looked at every one of them. They were processing. _Theres always_ _another mission._ Their faces screamed this. Finally Rey spoke, she stepped next to him, lacing her hand in his."Together." Poe clamped his hand on his shoulder. "I feel like we're always saying this, but together." "WHEUHRHGH!" Chewie roared standing up and joining them. BB-8 and D-O rolled up to them. They started beeping inaudibly. "Together. Together. Together." He turned to the others, Zorri stood up. She crossed her arms. She grumbled, very clearly unhappy with what she was about to say. "I'm coming too. You guys need someone who knows the underworld. Poe's been a good boy for too long." "Also together, or whatever..." They nodded to each other. 

That left the others, finally Rose spoke up. "Finn we'll help you where we can but we still have so much to do! The First Order left the galaxy in shambles!" _Rose Tico was one of the best members of the Resistance. She embodied the plucky, goodnatured, and strong qualities of the Resistance. Finn knew what he had to do._ "I know, that's why I'm leaving you and D'acy in charge."

Her turned to Poe. He nodded in agreement. "So what do you say General Tico, is the Resistance in good hands?" Her eyes glinted with a look of resolution. "They are. Go. The galaxy needs you." Poe spoke now. "Then it's settled, we go on this mission, while you guys help rebuild the galaxy." He turned to them. R2, Threepio, Kin, Connix, D'acy, and Rose. "No one can know about this mission. We keep it in here." He smiled.

"You guys got this, make a better galaxy, please." They all nodded. Poe turned to Finn. "So what now?" Finn, straightened. "Okay, we move out in two hours. We do this, and we save countless lives. It's what Leia would do. She fought till her last breath. It's what a rebel would do. I trust each and every one of you with my life and I hope you think of me the same way." "Godspeed, and may the Force be with you. Always." They all mobilized, leaving the room in silence.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were in the Falcon now, they had packed and loaded the crew's quarters and were now preparing for takeoff. He sat in the Captain's Quarters. _I guess part of the benefits of being with the Captain is that you got to sleep in their room._ He thought. He was unpacking his stuff when Rey entered. Her hair was still up. He would be happy with whatever she did with it. _Rey was Rey, no matter what. "_ Hey you." "Finn shuffled, standing up and adjusting his clothes.

"Oh hey." "We're getting ready to take off." "Okay, I'll meet you there." He grabbed his com gauntlet from the bench. Babu Frik had taken the liberty of fixing it as he repaired the ship. It still fit perfect. He brushed past her. _Why's he acting weird?_ She thought. "Hey?" She grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?" "Yeah." He swallowed. _He may have had a hell of a poker face but he was a bad liar._

She sat him down on the bed. Her hand turned his face towards hers. "Finn, you can tell me anything." He huffed. "Okay." "Truth be told I'm scared." "Hey, about the mission?" "No, the Force!" He seemed frustrated. He turned to her. It was time he told her. "When I died, I saw Ben. He was in some place called the Nexus." Rey squinted her eyes."You saw him? What did he say?" Finn exhaled.

"He's the guardian of that place now. He guards the Force itself. He said we're each other's destinies. That we're gonna save the galaxy together, make a hell of a team." "Well we do Finn." she retorted. "I know, but as Jedi's. All this stuff with the Force flash, Correlia, I can't control it. What if the galaxy's counting on me and I can't cut it." _Oh this dummy didn't get it. He was the best of them. He had all the makings of the Jedi, he just needed to see it for himself._ "Here." She said. She grabbed his hands. " I can make us a Force Combine. "

"A what?" "A Force Combine is like a force bond but heightened. Me and Ben had a dyad. We were like twins in the Force, polar opposites." She curled his fingers around hers. "A Combine is like a dyad on the light side. It's two different people who care about each other so deeply, their souls merge." " If we do this, you'll know how much you mean to me. But more importantly, you'll share the knowledge of the Jedi. You won't have the skills, but everything I know, you'll know." Finn was listening. He was overwhelmed.

"Theres just one thing, its like a meeting of the minds. To form the Combine, we gotta share everything we've ever experienced." Finn recoiled.

"No, no Rey I can't ask you to do that. I've seen too much. We'll find another way."

She pulled him close. "Hey, for the first time in my life, I have a real choice. I'm choosing to do this with the person I love, besides, I can handle it." She let out a reassuring smile.

“You don’t have to do this”.

“No, I do.”

He glanced at her. His brown eyes studied her intently, like she was gonna fade away. He took a moment scanning every inch of her face like it was a piece of art. Art that was damaged but still art. All she could do was stare back hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him.

"Okay." 

They placed their hands on each other's temples. Their heads were pulled together, their foreheads grazing each other.

It began. Millions of memories played out at once They felt it all.

_**Her Parents** _

_**Slip** _

_**Jakku** _

_**Starkiller** _

_**Han** _

_**Ach To** _

_**Canto Bight** _

_**The Supremacy** _

_**Snoke** _

_**Crait** _

_**Luke** _

_**Kef Bir** _

_**Leia** _

_**Exogol** _

_**Palpatine** _

_**Ben** _

**_Correlia._ **

****Every emotion they ever felt, poured into their minds at once. It was overwhelming.

The room flashed.

They opened their eyes, they collapsed into each other's arms.

"Rey... you were so alone... all that time, you just wanted a family." A single tear fell from his face.

"So, we're you. Finn.... I'm so sorry. I didn't know that's how you felt. That you went through that." She blinked tears forming in her eyes.

_Their connection felt different. Stronger, like it had leveled up._

He cupped her face, bringing her into a kiss. As their lips pressed against each other, they both melted. He pulled back.

"Rey you will never be alone again."

"I know, I have you. And you have me." 

"Rey, I'll follow you anywhere." 

"So lets go." 

"Go where?" 

"Anywhere." 

The Falcon rose from the ground, lifting into the air. It's engines flared before it shot off, soaring into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for reading and going on this adventure with Finn and Rey. I truly do appreciate everything you guys said, and the fact that there was so much engagement! I feel like as a writer, if you can make your audience feel strongly for the characters and their actions, you're doing something right, and its gratifying. Class is in full swing but I've seen some interest in potentially doing something more, which of course I appreciate. I was wondering from you guys, what story you guys would want to see me tackle next. The setup done throughout this story essentially leads to a full on adventure with primarily, Finn, Rey, Poe, Zorri, Chewie and the droids as they take on the Five crime syndicates Palpatine's Sith acolytes have infiltrated and consolidated. I wanna sprinkle characters throughout like Rose, Jannah, Lando etc but its very hard to balance them. The other option of course is Finn's mission, highlighting his bravery, tactics, and what caused him to end up at the point we saw him. I'll be okay with either. Just want some opinions. Thanks again.


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